Air Transport

Denmark's Cimber Group is to relaunch the former Sterling Airlines operation under a new brand, Cimber Sterling, with 16 routes out of Copenhagen.

The operation will include a number of Boeing 737 aircraft previously operated by Sterling, which collapsed at the end of October last year.

Cimber Group, the parent of Sonderborg-based regional carrier Cimber Air, had earlier revealed it was acquiring Sterling's assets - including its air operator's certificate - and planning to use them for European expansion.

The carrier this month opened a Copenhagen-London Gatwick service. Flights to Nice and Malaga follow in February, and connections to Edinburgh, Barcelona, Naples, Rome, Venice and Florence in March. By mid-May it will also be operating from the Danish capital to Alicante, Athens, Mallorca, Montpellier, Split, Crete and Bourgas.

Cimber Sterling is to expand its summer schedule from Billund to include flights to Rome, Nice and Malaga, and the carrier will also open Aalborg-Malaga.

Copenhagen Airport's operator says that Cimber Sterling will operate 56 new weekly frequencies from the hub under the schedule, adding: "This means Copenhagen Airport has gained much more than it lost in ­Sterling's bankruptcy."

Scandinavian budget carrier Norwegian and Dutch leisure operator Transavia have already made moves to fill the Sterling void at Copenhagen.

Cimber Sterling will operate 56 new weekly frequencies from the hub under the schedule

For more on Norwegian's move into Copenhagen, read our interview with Bjorn Kjos at: flightglobal.com/kjos