Flybe has opened its new base at Bournemouth airport.
The regional carrier will operate nine routes from the airport, using two 78-seat Bombadier Q400 aircraft.
These feature a choice of up to 53 flights a week to and from Amsterdam, Biarritz, Deauville, Dublin, Glasgow, Jersey, Manchester, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Toulon–Hyères.
To celebrate the opening of the new base the airline named one of its purple-branded Bombardier Q400 aircraft, the ‘Spirit of Bournemouth’.
The plane naming breakfast was hosted jointly by Flybe CEO, Saad Hammad and Bournemouth Airport MD, Paul Knight.
Flybe said it expects to fly around 300,000 passengers a year on these routes.
Flybe CEO, Saad Hammad, said: "The opening of our new Bournemouth base marks yet another important milestone for Flybe. It enhances and extends our already established presence along the south coast and is set to play a key role in growing and expanding further our regional connectivity.
Paul Knight, managing director at Bournemouth Airport, said: “The whole team at Bournemouth is absolutely delighted to welcome Flybe to the airport.
“The announcement is a clear indication of Flybe’s confidence and commitment in Bournemouth's standing as a key airport for the south west.”