Collapsed airline Flybe has announced it will return to the skies next month and flights will resume from Leeds Bradford Airport.
The regional carrier will operate up to 530 flights per week across 23 routes, serving airports such as Belfast City, Birmingham, East Midlands, Glasgow, Heathrow and Leeds Bradford. Flights will resume on April 13.
Flybe was pushed into administration in March 2020 with the loss of 2,400 jobs as the Covid-19 pandemic destroyed large parts of the travel market.
Before it went bust it flew the most UK domestic routes between airports outside London.
Its business and assets were purchased in April 2021 by Thyme Opco, which is linked to US hedge fund Cyrus Capital.
Thyme Opco was renamed Flybe Limited. The airline will be based at Birmingham Airport.
Chief executive Dave Pflieger said: “We are delighted to now be out for sale and starting service next month.
“We think our new flights will benefit everyone who wants low fares and more flights to go on holiday and visit loved ones.
“Our new network will also ensure better regional connectivity inside the UK and between various UK and EU regions.”
He added: “The new Flybe team has worked tirelessly over the past year to create an airline that delivers on price, schedule and choice.”
When the airline collapsed, Leeds North West MP Alex Sobel said the government should focus on building up rail networks to remove the need for domestic flights. He said: “The collapse of Flybe is a source of deep anxiety for both passengers and employees and our first response must be to support them.
He also said there would be "major questions" asked about what the Government’s had done after it had known about the difficulties Flybe was facing.
