First Flybe Flight
Image by ch-aviation
After 2 years of uncertainty and preparations, the new Flybe finally took its first flight. As many of you know in March 2020 the airline ceased operations and have not flown since. Under new ownership and on a much smaller scale, the relaunch has seen Flybe undergo some huge changes from its livery to its bases.
The flight in question was from Birmingham (BHX/EGBB) to Belfast (BHD/EGAC) which are Flybe’s two primary bases. They used one of their 3 Dash 8-400s which will be the sole aircraft type in their fleet. (They plan to have 32 over the coming years)
Flight Details
Route: EGBB-EGAC
Aircraft: Dash 8-400 (G-JECX)
Flight time: 52 minutes
Cruise Altitude: 24,000ft
Departure Time: 09:09
Arrival Time: 10:01
Flight details for BE404
Flight path for BE404
Departure time was 09:09 crossing over the north west of England and across the Irish Sea. On the approach to Belfast the aircraft landed on runway 22 at 10:01.
Arrival celebrated with a water cannon salute: via Twitter
CEO of Flybe: "Today is a big day for everyone at Flybe. After a year of incredibly hard work, we are thrilled to have our fast, quiet and fuel/CO2 efficient Dash 8-400 (Q400) aircraft back in the sky connecting customers to two of the UK’s premier regional cities.“
Future Flights
This is the first flight of many that Flybe will begin to operate. Over the course of this year, Flybe expect to launch 23 routes primarily from Birmingham and Belfast. When fully operational, Flybe will operate over 500 flights per week.
It is expected that further routes will be announced later this year, including seasonal ones to go with the ones launching in the summer.
The full route list along with frequency can be found in the topic linked below:
Other stories and articles
Flybe returns with £20 flight from Birmingham to Belfast | The Independent
Flybe Returns To The Skies With First Flight In Over 2 Years
Reborn Flybe returns to the skies | Travel Weekly
https://twitter.com/BELFASTCITY_AIR/status/1514211164401684485?s=20&t=djqtUZ-VpSjYFio7xrswHA
more to follow…