Regional airline Flybe, which has been reborn following its
collapse in March 2020, has announced it will use Birmingham airport as its
headquarters and first new crew base.
The carrier, which is now known as Flybe Ltd following the
sale of its assets to Thyme Opco earlier this year, was formerly headquartered
at Exeter airport prior to ceasing operations at the start of the pandemic. Its
head office will now be located at Birmingham airport’s Diamond House.
The move is expected to create around 200 direct new jobs in
the Birmingham and West Midlands area over the next three years, with an
additional 400 roles to be created nationwide during the same time frame.
Although no routes have been announced, Flybe said it would
begin serving “key regions across the UK and EU” from spring 2022.
Dave Pflieger, who was appointed CEO of Flybe last month, said Birmingham was “an ideal choice for
us due to its great people and highly skilled workforce, its central UK
location and the fact that Birmingham airport is a global travel hub where
local and connecting customers have access to over 150 worldwide destinations”.
Pflieger continued: “Today’s announcement marks the
culmination of over 12 months of dedicated hard work by all involved and it
would not have been possible without the support of the CAA [Civil Aviation
Authority] and the UK government.”
According to Pflieger, sustainability will be a “key area of
focus from day one for Flybe”. The airline will operate a fleet of De Havilland
Canada Dash 8-400 aircraft, which Pflieger said can complete short journeys “almost
as quickly as a regional jet, but with lower CO2 emissions”. The company will
also partner with local community charities and partners focused on the
environment.
Pflieger said more details about routes and ticket pricing
will be released over the coming weeks and months.