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| Flybe in London City Airport deal | Flybe in London City Airport deal |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Flybe is to offer flights from London City Airport after signing a five-year deal. | |
| The airline will offer services to and from Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, Inverness and Exeter. | The airline will offer services to and from Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, Inverness and Exeter. |
| Flights are due to begin on 27 October, and Flybe estimates the routes will carry about 500,000 passengers a year. | Flights are due to begin on 27 October, and Flybe estimates the routes will carry about 500,000 passengers a year. |
| "Today's announcement is a significant landmark in the re-birth of Flybe," said the airline's chief executive, Saad Hammad. | "Today's announcement is a significant landmark in the re-birth of Flybe," said the airline's chief executive, Saad Hammad. |
| "We are delighted to re-enter the London market at London's most convenient airport." | "We are delighted to re-enter the London market at London's most convenient airport." |
| Growing again | |
| Exeter-based Flybe is seeking to revive its fortunes after losses forced it to shrink its operations. | |
| In the past couple of years, it has shed hundreds of jobs. In November last year, it announced plans to close several of its regional bases. | |
| It also sold 25 pairs of arrival and departure slots at London Gatwick to Easyjet for £20m. | |
| However, in its last set of results, there were signs of improvement, as it reported pre-tax profits of £13.8m for the six months to 30 September, compared with a loss of £1.6m a year earlier. | |
| Earlier this year, the airline raised £150m to help fund expansion. | |
| Flybe currently operates 171 routes serving 16 countries. | |
| As part of the London City Airport deal, Flybe also plans to introduce to services to European ski resorts, as well as to destinations in France and northern Spain. |