Article from BTNews 31 JULY 2017
Flybe revenue boost
New Heathrow services and the timing of Easter have helped Flybe to increase its quarterly passenger revenue by 11.7% to £174m, the airline reported last week. The regional carrier launched domestic routes from the London hub at the end of March.
The flights are using slots operated previously by the Virgin Atlantic subsidiary Little Red and serve Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Flybe said total passenger numbers rose as a result by 7.1% to 2.4m for the three months to June 30.
Load factors also improved to 72.5%, a 2.5% rise, over the same period while the airline said there was an improvement in operational efficiency with the number of cancellations in the quarter dropping by 50% compared with 2016.
CEO Christine Ourmieres-Widener said: “Both load factor and passenger yield have improved as expected, and with the greater control we have over capacity we will focus on rebuilding unit revenues.
“I am also excited about Scotland, with our new routes complemented by the new partnership with Eastern Airways giving increased connectivity options for passengers and showing our long-term commitment to the market.”
Flybe is planning a 7% capacity cut in the second half of its financial year between October 2017 and March 2018 as it reduces its fleet over the winter season.
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