Flybe plans new Norwich Airport routes
29.03.06
Low-cost airline Flybe has confirmed its commitment to Norwich Airport, and outlined plans for services to Germany, Scandinavia and Amsterdam.
The airline said it was delighted with its first year of operations from Norwich when it flew 140,000 passengers to destinations including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Alicante and Dublin. This year it expects to carry 400,000 - 500,000 passengers, with additional services to Paris, Manchester, Faro and Bordeaux. Another five or six new destinations are planned, including Germany, Norway, Amsterdam and Newcastle.
Flybe hit back at claims it cancels too many services, saying it has so far scrapped 22 flights from Norwich because of poor passenger numbers - around 3% of the total flights on 2 routes. And it said it was delighted with sales of tickets for its routes to Faro, Murcia and Guernsey which all launched this month, and Paris which starts in May.
Mike Rutter, Flybe's chief commercial officer, said: 'We are pleased overall with how Norwich is performing. We have so far launched 15 new routes to a range of destinations, with more to come. We will carry at least 400,000 people on our services from Norwich this year, rising to a million the year after that.'
Flybe dropped its new Belfast service because of poor ticket sales and ended its Aberdeen service to increase flights on its Edinburgh route, but Mr Rutter said both routes could return. He said: 'When low cost airlines launch new services, it is normal for 10 per cent of those not to succeed.' He said the success of services to Edinburgh and Dublin meant extra services were being laid on, with the frequency of flights to Alicante, Jersey and Malaga also being increased.
Later this year, Flybe is planning another major expansion of its operations, with five or six new routes due to be launched in the autumn of this year and spring next year. New destinations under consideration include Amsterdam, cities in Germany including Frankfurt, Dusseldorf or Munich and destinations in Norway including Stavanger, Oslo and Bergen. Flybe is also looking closer to home with possible routes to Southampton and Newcastle.
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