Regional carrier Flybe has announced its summer 2020 schedule, which includes seven new routes from Southend and Manchester.
Under its soon-to-launch new brand Virgin Connect, the carrier says it will have an added focus on business travel and that its summer flights mark the beginning of the transition.
Under a new commercial agreement with Stobart Air, Flybe will increase its short-haul presence in the London market by offering ten routes with a choice of up to 214 flights a week to and from Southend. This includes six new services to Belfast City, Edinburgh, Glasgow (all 18 per week), Newcastle (13 per week), Isle of Man (seven per week) and Jersey (up to two per week), as well as existing flights to Caen, Groningen, Newquay and Rennes.
Furthermore, the carrier will launch daily flights between Manchester and Stuttgart with a morning departure.
Manchester will also benefit from extra flights to Amsterdam (increasing from three to four services a week), Luxembourg and Hannover (changing from four flights a week to a daily frequency).
And routes to Geneva from Cardiff, Exeter, Isle of Man, Jersey and Southampton have been extended through Easter.
The new schedule comes after Flybe and Loganair agreed to revive their partnership, including routes to and from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Manchester.
Mark Anderson, CEO of Connect Airways, said: “I am very excited with our new summer 2020 schedule and its focus on our business customers and regional communities. The schedule includes many of our most popular high-frequency services with better timings to accommodate our frequent fliers, as well as new flights from London Southend airport.
“As Flybe moves towards its full re-brand as Virgin Connect next year, we are proud of the role the airline continues to play in bringing people and communities even closer.”
flybe.com