Flybe: 'We are now the leading domestic carrier'
By Victoria Thomson, www.business.scotsman.com 30th January 2010
BUDGET airline Flybe claims to have become the UK's top domestic carrier after facing "the ultimate test" in the recession.
Flybe yesterday said it was one of only a handful of firms to post a profit in the recession as economic woes and fuel price volatility hammered the industry.
The privately owned airline said it had seen "good profits" in the six months to the end of September and was winning market share as the industry convulsed amid steep falls in passenger demand.
Flybe said it carried more UK domestic passengers than any other airline between April and October last year. Its passenger numbers rose 4.3 per cent in the year to March, but it said the figure fell back in the first half of this financial year. Since June, numbers have improved.
Chairman and chief executive Jim French said there had been a "marked upturn, post the bad weather, post-Christmas" as confidence returned.
Flybe reported a pre-tax profit of £100,000 in the year to 31 March 2009 including one-off costs of £12.7 million, down from £30.4m in the previous 12 months.
In the year to March, the firm launched its first Loganair franchise operations, increasing Scottish regional coverage.
