Flybe-V1

[inOban]

Alternatively they work on the train uninterrupted for however long with plugin power, WiFi, 4 or even 5g and arrive for their meeting fully prepared.

Time on a train is only dead time if choose that.

[True Blue]

And these are the same big pension funds that can't wait to invest your money in China! I also have to listen this ESG crap every day in my business, when big business and governments decide that China and Russia and some other countries are to be wary of, then I'll start to believe that they are sincere in what they say. But at the minute, it's all nothing more than to look good. The term is "greenwashing".

[wanna]

BA318

Whilst Jersey has an Open Skies policy Guernsey does not and would require flybe to apply for route licences, cant imagine SoG would give Flybe licences that would then burn their own airline. GoJ and Ports of Jersey have both been fairly supportive of Blue Islands locally and seemingly invested a large amount of money into them... how supportive they would be of Flybe turning back up in Jersey is questionable too.

[ATNotts]

That really depends if the capacity that was lost through the demise of Flybe has been fully replaced. There is more to the equation than just the airlines and airports, the major factor has got to be to have sufficient capacity available to ensure that the hotel, B&B and holiday home rental sector is fully serviced, and that's before you start on the dubious "off shore" companies that use particularly Guernsey as a base for tax avoidance - they will require regular well timed air connections to the UK mainland, and not just to London (there are businesses based beyond the M25 I believe!).

[wanna]

Both Guernsey and Jersey have a bit of a lack of Hotel / B&B accommodation as was discovered in the Summer, certainly in Jersey with the Jet2 / Easyjet / BA flights. Both Blue Islands and Aurigny offer the flights outside of London with BA and Easyjet covering the london airports. I would be very surprised if there was capacity for Flybe or even the want for them. They had like in most parts of the U.K a fairly poor reputation in the Channel Islands, and whilst loved as JEA certainly not so as Flybe. Whilst Blue Islands doesn't always far to well re reputation, for the most part its appreciated as the local airline doing its best and you most certainly cant say a bad word about Aurigny in Guernsey without fear of being mobbed by the locals, they really do love their state owned airline... and why not?

[BA318]

Seems to be online rumours of some kind of launch announcement shortly - possibly as early as tomorrow.

[CabinCrewe]

… I suspect most have lost interest. Launch or not, this is going to be a flop would be my prediction. Don’t believe everything you read on Twitter

[BHX5DME]

Now official - Birmingham will be FlyBe's new HQ creating hundreds of jobs :-)

[ATNotts]

Over three years, 600 jobs, 200 of which will be at BHX - according to the BBC story this has been "pledged" - a journalistic term that actually mean diddly-squat. One assumes that these figures are for direct employees and take no account of ancillary jobs created in suppliers such as passenger handling, maintenance and the like.

Start date looks to be spring 2022 - let the sweepstake open on likely routes!

[BHX5DME]

Flybe has today announced that Birmingham Airport will be its new company headquarters and first new crew base.

Flybe will serve regions across the UK and EU with operations scheduled to begin in early 2022. Birmingham Airport’s Diamond House will be the location of the company’s new HQ and Operations Centre, in a move that is expected to create around 200 new jobs in the Birmingham and West Midlands region over the next three years, with an estimated additional 400 direct jobs to be created nationwide.

The news follows the April sale of the business and assets of Flybe Ltd (in administration, now renamed FBE Realisations Ltd) to Thyme Opco Limited (now renamed Flybe Limited).

Flybe CEO Dave Pflieger said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Birmingham Airport (BHX), the City of Birmingham, and the Mayor of West Midlands to make BHX the location of our new headquarters and first crew base. It 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. 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 and the UK Government.”

Andy Street, Mayor of West Midlands, said: “It really is such brilliant news that Flybe is coming back as a commercial airline, and even better that it has chosen Birmingham to house its new headquarters.

“Not only does this mean better domestic and international connectivity for our region as well as local jobs and opportunities being created here, but it’s yet another show of faith in the West Midlands with businesses choosing to commit to our region as we recover from the pandemic.

“Flybe’s choice highlights the strength of the aerospace sector in the West Midlands and the talent pool available, and I wish Dave and his team all the very best ahead of their official launch early next year.”

Nick Barton, chief executive, Birmingham Airport, added: “Flybe’s announcement that Birmingham has been chosen to become the headquarters for its launch next spring is fantastic news for our region’s connectivity needs, and it will bring with it some great new employment opportunities. Dave’s vast experience in managing start-up airlines and turnaround situations, coupled with the recovery of the Midlands’ economy post-Covid, means that Flybe’s return to the skies from Birmingham is a shot in the arm for our airport as well as West Midlands businesses and communities. We look forward to working with Dave and his team in preparation for next spring and to launch such a well-known brand here in Birmingham.”

Pflieger added: “I also want to emphasise that a key area of focus from day one for Flybe will be environmental sustainability and ensuring we do everything possible to reduce our carbon footprint and GHGs. Our entire fleet will be comprised of the De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400, which is a fast turboprop powered aircraft that can complete short journeys almost as quickly as a regional jet, but with lower CO2 emissions. In addition, we will also be partnering with local community charities and partners who are focused on the environment as well as other causes which align with our corporate goals and values.

“As for what’s next, please stay tuned. We plan to provide more information in the coming weeks and months about ticket prices, new routes and destinations, and other important news that will help customers visit loved ones, get away for a weekend, and get out on business trips. This is an incredibly exciting time for us, and we look forward to sharing more updates in the future.”

[Egda]

So why have you singled out Guernsey "that's before you start on the dubious "off shore" companies that use particularly Guernsey as a base for tax avoidance"

The latest scoring by the Tax Justice Network lists the worse being

4th Netherlands
5th Switzerland
6th Luxembourg
8th Jersey
11th Ireland
13th UK
16th Belgium
17th Guernsey

So perhaps you want to stick to comments about routes and carriers and less about what you don't know about.

[Alteagod]

Im going to put BHX-BHD in the hat along with BHD-GLA. Just for starters. I think they will start low and slow and build up market share.......or just crash and burn as the loser in the inevitable price war.

[ATNotts]

I think you're right. The new jobs figure (200 for BHX and 400 elsewhere) are over 3 years, suggesting organic rather than meteoric growth.

If crewing logistics permit I would add GLA and EDI to EMA. Both long standing routes that go right back to when EMA opened, but have been unserved since March 2020.

[Jamie2009]

Loganair on the charm offensive to counter todays announcement.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jonat...840907264-1qrr

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kay-r...897514496---jK

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/david...365745664-SpQV

[willy wombat]

I think it’s reasonable to assume that if EMA-GLA/EDI were still viable, Loganair would be flying them.

[Skipness One Foxtrot]

ATNotts

They did really well with British Midland on the DC9 with a business friendly schedule once upon a time but that was a different world. It went to the Embraer, then B737 with BMI Baby and then assorted other carriers but road and rail is the preffered option nowadays. Likewise GLA/EDI-LBA.

[Flightrider]

I suspect the fact that Rolls-Royce as one of the major corporate mainstays on EMA/GLA for several decades now has around 8,000 fewer employees in the UK after the pandemic will have something to do with the route's continued absence today. Flybe had ditched the routes - and they'd been taken up by Loganair - before their demise and it's hard to see what would be different this time around if Flybe were to put Q400s back on them.

[oapilot]

Jamie2009

Well, if you were hoping to read “Flybe have opened a new office, so we’re shutting up shop”, you were always going to be disappointed.

Just looks like standard Loganair posts from the last 18 months to me.

[Jamie2009]

Three expertly prepared posts released in short order and then the leadership comment on each others posts almost instantly is clearly coordinated.

Eco credentials will be a big advertising point… Doesn’t the EMB145 use roughly 50% more fuel for 30 less seats and only a few minutes quicker than a Q400.

Obviously the ATR is a very economical and reliable aircraft

[oapilot]

Not unusual really, they’re all pretty active on LinkedIn.

As for eco credentials, the ATR is more fuel efficient than the Q400 for not that much time difference on U.K. domestic routes.