News: Flybe take off jets from DSA base

Flybe, Europe's largest regional airline, has announced that it is withdrawing jet operations from Doncaster Sheffield, the regional airport for the Sheffield city region (SCR).

The company is currently being bought by a consortium led by Virgin Atlantic having made losses struggling with Air Passenger Duty and uncertainty over Brexit. It has also struggled with a reported £80m debt, mainly from leasing expensive jets.

As part of its strategy to reduce capacity, this week Flybe announced that it would return all of its 118-seat Embraer 195 aircraft to its lessors - a move that would see jet flights from DSA cease with effect from the start of the 2019-20 Winter programme. The base to service its jet services will also close.

It is expected that flights serviced on the smaller Bombardier Q400 aircraft will continue. These turboprop planes are used for the shorter flights such as Newquay, Jersey and Belfast.

Christine Ourmières-Widener, CEO at Flybe, said: "Our fleet reduction has always been core to improving our profitability. We are committed to assisting all our affected employees across the impacted Flybe bases. We remain fully committed to Exeter, Cardiff and Doncaster airports and will continue to offer a comprehensive choice of regional and European destinations operated by our 78-seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft."

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A spokesperson for DSA, said: "Doncaster Sheffield Airport is forecasting record passenger numbers for the year ahead, over 15% growth. It will be the airports busiest year on record since opening in 2005. With an additional 250,000 seats already on sale and 11 new routes launched in the past year, passenger's numbers will soar to in excess of 1.4m making it one of the fastest growing airports in the UK in recent years.

"Flybe have operated services at various levels from Doncaster Sheffield Airport since 2006. Flybe have recently changed ownership with future plans to restructure including a move away from jet flying to stabilise the business across their network. We are working closely with Flybe, and expect them to continue operating at DSA beyond the current summer and winter 19/20 schedule which will be on sale shortly.

"With the launch of our new long-haul services with TUI to Sanford Florida just weeks away we are extremely optimistic about growth in the year ahead and beyond."

An announcement in 2015 that Flybe would base two Embraer Jet aircraft at DSA was hailed as a "transformational deal" for the airport as it meant that an additional 500,000 seats would be on offer.

Flybe website
DSA website

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News: Airport sees busiest month ever

Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, the regional airport for the Sheffield city region, has seen a record number of passengers for July, its busiest month ever.

A "transformational deal" with Flybe was signed last year and eight new routes launched in April with 44 departures per week and almost half a million seats on the new routes in their first year of operation. The new routes are Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Jersey, Newquay, Malaga, Alicante and Faro.

Since April, new routes have been announced for Dusseldorf and Chambery in the Rhone-Alps region of south eastern France. Flybe as also announced that it will take over the route to Dublin, previously the Aer Lingus Regional service operated by Stobart Air.

With the new routes and the opening of the new £56m Finningley And Rossington Regeneration Route Scheme (FARRRS), passenger numbers for July increased by 42% from the previous year to 141,155, with the airport on track to deliver over 1.3 million passengers for the year.

As passenger numbers grow, a £200k investment has been made in the airport's departure and security operations.

The purchase of four state of the art security machines will allow for quicker scanning of hand luggage and reduce the number of person searches required; meaning that passengers can expect an enhanced passenger experience. On average, the airport now aims to process passengers through security within ten minutes.

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Other improvements include the introduction of airport ambassadors who will meet and greet passengers on arrival at the airport, assisting with any information requirements and their efficient flow through the airport.

Steve Gill, chief executive of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, said: "We are delighted to be seeing growth in our passenger numbers and have made this investment in our terminal and staff to ensure that we improve the ease and speed of using our airport.

"This will allow us to increase the speed of journeys for our passengers through the airport whilst maintaining stringent security levels so a real gain in convenience for leisure and business travellers alike."

Peel Holdings bought the site from the Ministry of Defence when it was RAF Finningley in 1999 and has invested around £150m. It was the first full service airport to open in the UK in 50 years when the first commercial flight took off in 2005.

Ian Howarth, finance director, Pegler Yorkshire Group, who are regular users of the airport for business travel from their Doncaster head office, said: "The airport is key to supporting our business, allowing us to easily bring staff to our UK operations from group operations in France, Germany and Holland alongside facilitating our wider travel needs. The ease of access to the airport through the new link road, convenience of parking and quick processing times through the airport are all major reasons driving the use of our local airport."

Jillian Thomas, managing director of Future Life Wealth Management based in Sheffield and President of Sheffield Chamber of Commerce added: "The new Flybe routes to European travel hubs have been a real benefit to my business allowing me to access long haul destinations such as Dubai.

"The opening of the new motorway link road, the closeness of the parking to the terminal and fast processing through the airport means I use our local airport whenever possible. I would encourage others to use the airport when travelling to enjoy these benefits and support a key asset for the Sheffield City region."

Robin Hood Airport website

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News: Top ten for Flybe at DSA

New routes have been announced at Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, the regional airport for the Sheffield city region, as the first flights take off as part of the transformational deal with Flybe.

Eight new routes have launched with 44 departures per week and almost half a million seats on the new routes in their first year of operation. The new routes are Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Jersey, Newquay, Malaga, Alicante and Faro.

As the first Flybe Embraer 195 jet aircraft set off from Doncaster Sheffield Airport to Paris emblazoned with eye-catching Welcome to Yorkshire livery, a business route to Dusseldorf was also confirmed.

Steve Gill, managing director of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, said: "Flybe has strengthened its commitment with a further new route and expansion of its Berlin services. New flights to Dusseldorf are set to commence for the winter season. Services to Berlin will also increase from four weekly to daily, due to unprecedented demand from the Sheffield City regions business community.

"Providing the Sheffield City Region with the business services it needs has long been an ambition and now that these services are here we must see the region voting with their feet and using them. Passenger demand to date has exceeded expectations. This is a phenomenal start but there is still much work to do."

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Sir Nigel Knowles, chair of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), added: "It is fantastic to see these new routes starting from our airport, increased international connectivity is key to driving economic growth for the Sheffield City Region. In particular having routes to some of the biggest airport hubs in Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris will give businesses in our region better access to markets, boosting international trade from and into the City Region. I hope companies will embrace these new routes and spread the word about our City Region on their travels."

Chambery in the Rhone-Alps region of south eastern France is the latest Flybe winter programme destination, offering a gateway to a number of Alpine ski resorts, given its proximity to Mont Blanc.

Flybe's new year-round Dusseldorf service starts on October 30 and will operate four times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Fridays and Sundays. with Amsterdam, Paris, Alicante and Malaga remaining unchanged for the winter with Berlin increasing to daily. Faro and Newquay will be replaced with the two new popular winter routes with capacity to Jersey reducing to three times weekly during winter.

Vincent Hodder, chief revenue officer at Flybe, said: "As Europe's largest regional airline, we specialise in connecting the UK regions to Europe so we are pleased to add to our already extensive winter schedule from Doncaster Sheffield, these two additional routes to Dusseldorf and Chambery. We see them as a natural addition to our network from our new base and are confident that they will prove attractive options both for business travel and for winter getaways."

Doncaster Sheffield Airport website

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News: Region's businesses set to soar with new airport routes

The transformational deal between Flybe and Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield, the regional airport for the Sheffield city region, includes new routes to two major European hub airports, opening up connections to the world.

Last week, airport bosses announced that Flybe, Europe's largest regional airline, will base two 118-seat Embraer 195 jet aircraft at the airport with services starting from the end of March 2016.

The eight new routes have now been announced which will see some 44 departures per week and almost half a million seats on the new routes in their first year of operation.

The new routes are Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Jersey, Newquay, Malaga, Alicante and Faro.

13 weekly flights are set for Paris' Charles De Gaule airport with daily flights to Amsterdam Schipol and four weekly flights to Berlin Tegel.

These new routes will connect businesses in the Sheffield City Region to three of the six largest economies in Europe (Germany, France and The Netherlands) with all three markets in the top four trade partners that Yorkshire has.

Steve Gill, managing director of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, said: "This is fantastic news for the Sheffield City Region. Flybe will be taking passengers to eight destinations from the end of March 2016.

"The routes include two hub feeder services to Paris and Amsterdam which offers global connectivity. This will benefit businesses from across the region and this new wave of connectivity will take the airport and the city region to the next level.

"We have worked extremely closely with the Flybe team to ensure that the route network meets the needs of the region."

Martin McKervey, private sector board member of the Sheffield City Region LEP, added: "The LEP have firmly recognised the importance of Doncaster Sheffield Airport as a strategic asset to the city region within our growth plan.

"Along with the local authorities and private sector partners including the Peel Group, the LEP have fought and won the case for FARRRss / The Gateway to the Sheffield City Region Project and are now just a few months away from seeing that project complete.

"It is fantastic to see the growth of services to places such as Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris along with ability to connect globally means that in Doncaster Sheffield we have an airport that is firmly delivering on its potential."

With the £60m new FARRS motorway link road about to open, journey times between the airport and Sheffield will be reduced to 25 minutes and some 15-20 minutes will be knocked off most journeys.

The new routes mean that Doncaster Sheffield Airport will be experiencing double-digit growth in 2016 with the additional seats and growth from other incumbent carriers expected to take passenger figures from 900,000 in 2015 to 1.35 million in 2016.

Having instigated a three-year restructuring plan after struggling with mounting costs, Flybe reported its latest financial results today which showed that group revenues were up 10% to £339.6m for the six months to September 30, which led to a £22.9m profit compared to a £3.3m loss in the same period last year.

One major issue for the listed company was the surplus of E195 jets, which has ultimately benefited DSA Airport with Flybe's decision to locate two aircraft in the city region.

Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield website

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