Flybe to Support Brussels Airlines Operations with Q400

UK regional operator Flybe has announced a deal to provide two Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 turboprops - with pilots, cabin crew and engineering support - to European national carrier Brussels Airlines from the end of this month. The partnership is similar to that which is provided to Greek airline Olympic Air between 2009 and 2010 and is an area of the business set to see further expansion in the future.

“Over the past few years, we have been offered a number of opportunities to work with other European airlines but I am very clear that the deal has to be 100% right for Flybe,” explained Jim French, Chief Executive Officer, Flybe. “Given our successful experience of operating in Greece, I fully expect the partnership with Brussels Airlines not only to be a great success but also to pave the way for further partnerships as we seek to find innovative uses for our fleet at a time of economic challenge in our core UK market.”

“It’s not the Flybe way to simply park our aircraft and wait for something to come along; we prefer to get out there and seek new and profitable opportunities,” he added.

The wet-lease deal with Brussels Airlines will commence at the start of the Northern Summer schedules from March 25, 2012 and will run for a two-year period. The two Q400 turboprops will be based at Birmingham, UK and Hanover, Germany and will serve “core routes” in the Star Alliance member’s European network in and out of Brussels. These will include Lyon, Manchester, Prague and Strasbourg. Both aircraft will be painted in full Brussels Airlines livery but will be flown under the Flybe Air Operators Certificate (AOC), crewed by the UK carrier’s pilots and cabin crew and maintained by its own engineers. They will also be joined by additional Dash 8-Q400 models of Tyrolean Airways which will also serve Basel and Turin from the Belgian capital.

“The partnership with Brussels Airlines is an exciting development for Flybe and I am delighted to be working with such a respected European operator. It is another very important milestone in Flybe’s development and is further confirmation of our reputation as a quality provider of professional ‘turn-key’ solutions in the regional aviation market,” added Jim French.