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| Flybe pulls out of Belfast to London Gatwick flights | Flybe pulls out of Belfast to London Gatwick flights |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The airline Flybe is dropping its direct flights from Belfast City Airport to London Gatwick from the end of the March 2014. | |
| The route has been axed after the Exeter-based company sold its runway slots at Gatwick Airport. | The route has been axed after the Exeter-based company sold its runway slots at Gatwick Airport. |
| Some of the company's Gatwick slots have been sold to Easyjet. | Some of the company's Gatwick slots have been sold to Easyjet. |
| Flybe held 25 take-off and landing slots at Gatwick. The sell-off could provide the company with a cash injection of up to £20m. | Flybe held 25 take-off and landing slots at Gatwick. The sell-off could provide the company with a cash injection of up to £20m. |
| But it means the company has now quit its main London hub. | But it means the company has now quit its main London hub. |
| Brian Ambrose, chief executive of Belfast City Airport, said he was confident they would be able to find another airline to replace Flybe on the Gatwick route. | |
| "We're used to changes to our network and I'm confident by this time next year we'll not only have replaced our Gatwick capacity, but will have built up other capacities," he said. | |
| "Flybe is our biggest customer, but we've established a significant demand from Belfast City to London Gatwick. | |
| "When you have a route with significant demand, other airlines take notice." | |
| In a statement, EasyJet said: "EasyJet plc can confirm it has completed an agreement with Flybe Group plc to acquire 25 pairs of arrival and departure slots at Gatwick airport for a total consideration of £20m. | In a statement, EasyJet said: "EasyJet plc can confirm it has completed an agreement with Flybe Group plc to acquire 25 pairs of arrival and departure slots at Gatwick airport for a total consideration of £20m. |
| "The acquisition is subject to the approval of Flybe's shareholders. | "The acquisition is subject to the approval of Flybe's shareholders. |
| "The slots will transfer from summer 2014 and will allow EasyJet to provide additional frequencies on popular existing routes from Gatwick as well as add new destinations across the UK and Europe." | "The slots will transfer from summer 2014 and will allow EasyJet to provide additional frequencies on popular existing routes from Gatwick as well as add new destinations across the UK and Europe." |
| Flybe was floated on the stock market at the end of 2010. Since then it has faced soaring fuel costs, falling passenger numbers and higher airport duty. | Flybe was floated on the stock market at the end of 2010. Since then it has faced soaring fuel costs, falling passenger numbers and higher airport duty. |
| It is currently axing about 10% of its 3,000-strong UK workforce to cut costs by at least £35m. It as also reviewed its network of 13 UK bases of Aberdeen, Belfast City, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Guernsey, Glasgow, Inverness, Isle of Man, Jersey, Manchester, Newcastle and Southampton. | It is currently axing about 10% of its 3,000-strong UK workforce to cut costs by at least £35m. It as also reviewed its network of 13 UK bases of Aberdeen, Belfast City, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Guernsey, Glasgow, Inverness, Isle of Man, Jersey, Manchester, Newcastle and Southampton. |
| A year ago, Flybe ended its flights from Belfast City Airport to Bristol. The airline said passenger levels were unsustainable. | A year ago, Flybe ended its flights from Belfast City Airport to Bristol. The airline said passenger levels were unsustainable. |
| Hear interviews with City Airport's Brian Ambrose and The Independent's travel editor Simon Calder on the NI Business News podcast. |