UK regional carrier Flybe is aggressively expanding at East Midlands, hitting the vulnerable budget operator BMIbaby by starting competing services on five of its routes.
Flybe is to station two aircraft at East Midlands and operate to Amsterdam, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Jersey for the winter season.
The schedule and frequencies are still being finalised, the carrier states.
BMIbaby, the low-cost arm of BMI, has been struggling to find a buyer following the takeover of BMI by International Airlines Group.
Its network includes all the routes being started by Flybe.
Flybe's UK managing director, Andrew Strong, says it "makes sense" to add the services to the carrier's route map.
"Our five new routes from East Midlands airport, added to our existing Belfast City service, are an important part of our ongoing commitment to making flying better for the UK regions," he adds.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
