The first Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft for the new incarnation of Flybe has today arrived at Birmingham Airport (BHX/EGBB) ahead of plans to begin commercial flights.
Birmingham Airport was announced as the new headquarters and base of the airline, which bought the rights to the Flybe name, last week.
The Dash 8, G-JECX, is the first of 12 aircraft to be leased from Nordic Aviation Capital with a plan to have 32 aircraft in the fleet.
Chief executive of Flybe Ltd, Dave Pflieger, said: “We look forward to working with both NAC and De Havilland Canada as we launch and grow our fleet with more of these incredibly fast turboprop planes that are more eco-friendly than regional jets.
“Environmental sustainability will be a key area of focus from day one for our company, and we plan to do everything possible to reduce our carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions.
“Flybe’s entire fleet will be comprised of Dash 8-400 aircraft because it is an extremely fast turboprop-powered aircraft that can complete short journeys almost as quickly as a regional jet, but with lower CO2 emissions.”
The original Flybe collapsed in 2020 but the name was bought by Cyrus Capital-backed Thyme OpCo Ltd which has now been renamed Flybe Ltd.
There is still no firm date of when flights will begin.