Loading ...All those who rely on Manchester International Airport when flying for business of leisure will likely be pleased to discover that Flybe will soon restore many of the flights and routes that it cancelled last year, Flybe bought up BA Connect-which once belonged to British Airways-in 2007, and this led to a very significant reduction in service at the Manchester airport. Mike Rutter, Flybe’s chief commercial officer, noted that the airline has firm plans to open new routes from Manchester to Lyon and Madrid, as well as regular flights to Amsterdam, Stuttgart and Hamburg.
Rutter pointed out that 360 people already work for Flybe at Manchester International, so the facilities and personnel are already in place to handle this expansion of service. The Flybe chief also believes that these routes will be profitable for the UK’s largest regional carrier. Flybe served around one million passengers at the Manchester Airport, but if everything goes according to plan, thus number will increase to 1.5 million within less than a year. Part of this expansion will come from increases to passenger capacity on a number of key routes, including to Hannover and Milan. Additionally, Flybe also contends that it will give Lufthansa Germany’s flag carrier-a run for its money as it competes on the Manchester to Frankfurt route.
Rutter noted that his firm has pumped £2.5 million into its facilities and equipment used at the Manchester airport, such as a new lounge and more advanced kiosks for passengers checking in.
Thank you to Kevin Feddy of the Manchester Evening News for the initial report.
www.flybe.com
