The report was here. It was talking about the number of domestic routes Flybe flew at the time of its closure - so doesn't cover international which must have been at least the same number again if not more. I think this also doesn't take in the number of routes that Flybe had already dropped before it failed - there was quite a big cull in autumn 2019.

Interesting article on possible Flybe routes
https://simpleflying.com/flybe-2-routes/

airspeed75

Playing devils advocate, in a capitalist economy there will always be those that see a depressed market as creating significant opportunity - think of Ryanair placing a large order for new 737's immediately following 9/11.

The market will rebound from this pandemic and I expect that a number of major aviation cost centres are depressed at the moment (e.g.) lease rates, employment costs, airport costs. With this in mind, it's understandable that there are potential new airlines looking to commence operation.

Is there value in an airline a bit like Volotea - a regional carrier connecting secondary cities with relatively low frequency in which might be too thin for a LCC (or not possible in somewhere like SOU?) - mainly based around Northern Europe?

I don’t think Cyrus are going to be happy and settle for a couple of planes on not taken up routes....

If it’s not a slot grab and none of us know the truth.... then there’s some serious competition coming.

Where do Virgin fit into any of this?
Is there going to be a strategy around feeding Virgin flights? Is the new Flybe going to be a vehicle in the interim to utilise slots at LGW or LHR once the 80/20 rule returns? Commentary has suggested that travel will not return to 2019 levels until 2024 or something like this. The likes of VS or even BA may like to see a small commuter aircraft fly in and out of LHR rather than either A. Lose a shed load of money on a wide body flight or B. Forfeit the slot.

Equally VS May not want to see its slots at LGW passed to Wizz, Flybe could utilise this strategy to give them time to build their future business model...

We are already seeing numerous routes on small aircraft going into LHR, some cases props, IOM, MME and potential others to follow, where are the slots coming from for these?

In any case, if they attempt to come in with a big bang and return to its old volume routes, they'll bleed cash as other airlines are in already, eg BHD- MAN, BHD-BHX, etc

I'm sure its a codeshare with Virgin with big part of this for feeding flights in to MAN, LHR and LGW Airports for Virgin.

Flybe will use Virgin Slots at LGW so will not be lost. Though I'm sure Flybe will also apply for more when market picks up.
Did say on first administrators report about main Bases in Man and London Airport more this likely to be LGW and few slots at LHR, Also on the first report said about 21 Q400 planes.

Flybe won't be feeding anyone at LGW using the Q400 unless the charging structure changes back. It was the move to favour A320 size at the expense of turboprops that caused flybe to close LGW in the first place, abandoning long built up routes to INV/BHD etc. Only NQY survived on the back of a taxpayer bung, LGW will not work for flybe unless LGW give them a very good deal, which of course they might, depends on how desperate things are.
Besides I don't see Virgin back at LGW for a few years at least.

Unless Virgin have the money to subsidise flybe2 to make losses at LGW for the sake of slot sitting for five based aircraft for a few years.

Virgin is not involved in this Flybe restart in any way. It is completely removed from it through choice and concentrating entirely on its own business. No reason to rule out some kind of interline or codeshare far down the line, but the type of activity suggested in recent posts is just not happening.

Thanks for confirming, I was thinking the same - so is Flybe2 now just a Cryus venture with no Virgin and Stobart involvement?

Correct. The only continuing Virgin and Stobart interest is in any secured creditor distribution from the entity now called FBE Realisations.

20 A220s recently ordered by an undisclosed customer. Interesting.

It's a popular aircraft. Do you have anything to link an order to new Flybe (as opposed to any other airline) or are you just speculating ?

Just speculating. Although perhaps a change of business plan would make sense. It seems logical to suggest that BE should go back to being a smaller operation based around Q400s serving trunk routes at a few key bases like BHX, SOU etc. However, if business pax is going to dwindle as a result of zoom meetings and the heat is turned up on domestic flying by the green mentalists like in France, is that an attractive market? Perhaps serving secondary routes that are currently unserved like the new low cost airline in America called Breeze is a market that has growth and little competition? BE now has a clean slate so could be in a position to order or lease new aircraft?

That's exactly where I see a gap. A little like how Volotea started in Italy/France - secondary cities (Venice, Bordeaux etc), to other secondary cities with lower frequency - or Breeze/Connect in the US. There has been a lot of talk about flyBe being a domestic carrier, but really there were regional - so France, Germany, Netherlands and the nearer parts of Scandinavia. Could be an interesting model in that.

CH Aviation news are reporting that the new owners of Flybe have been granted a operating license by the CAA.

https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/n...ew-flybe-owner

sorry it’s behind a pay wall, so can’t access the full article.

“We believe they are close to agreeing a slot release agreement.”
 

Future of Flybe's Heathrow landing slots still up in the air - Business Live (business-live.co.uk)

Interesting to discover if this is the outcome of their appeal or a fresh new OL.

Flybe 2.0 argued previously at the decision to revoke the old Flybe's OL they should be allowed to have a new OL and the old one simultaneously whilst they transferred allocated slots to the new airline.

See page 2 - http://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/2433.pdf

fjencl

I think that article made me more confused than anything, seems to jump around a bit with the timeline. (Maybe it's just me and my brain turning to mush during furlough....!)

My understanding was the EU had awarded the old Flybe (now FBE Realisations) the grandfathering rights on the slots. This has been challenged by IAG.

The CAA had also revoked the old airline's OL, which Thyme OpCo wanted transferred to their new airline. Thyme Opco (Now Flybe Ltd) have appealed that decision. The old airline's OL remains valid until the appeal has been heard and the decision overturned or ratified.