From A to Flybe

The regional carrier has returned to profit after enduring a turbulent few years. Guy Warner paid a visit to its Exeter base to hear about the airline’s remarkable turnaround.

After enduring a difficult spell since the turn of the decade, Flybe returned to profit last year for the first time since its flotation in 2010.
AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/ MATTHIEU DOUHAIRE

Flybe, like the majority of the world’s airlines, has had its fair share of ups and downs. The carrier, and its previous incarnations Jersey European Airways and British European, has been a familiar presence at airports across the UK and beyond for almost four decades. It has come a long way since its formation in 1979, growing from island-hopping services in the Channel to Europe’s largest regional carrier, operating 215 routes from 77 departure points – 37 in the UK and 40 in mainland Europe – in ten countries.

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