Relaunched UK regional carrier Flybe has taken delivery of its first De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 twin-turboprop at its new Birmingham airport home.
The aircraft is the first of 12 of the type to be leased from Nordic Aviation Capital, Flybe said on 26 November.
Cirium fleets data shows that the 14-year-old turboprop – G-JECX – was in service with the previous iteration of Flybe from 2007 until the carrier ceased operations in early 2020.
“This is an exciting time for our team and our new airline, and we look forward to working with both NAC and De Havilland Canada as we launch and grow our fleet with more of these incredibly fast turboprop planes that are more eco-friendly than regional jets,” says Flybe chief executive Dave Pflieger.
Flybe recently announced that Birmingham airport will be the location of its new headquarters and first crew base.
While no date for the start of flights has been released, the carrier said operations are “scheduled to begin in early 2022”, adding that it will serve “key regions across the UK and EU”.
Flybe in its original guise went bust in March 2020, with its remaining business and assets acquired in April this year by Thyme Opco, a company affiliated with Cyrus Capital, an investment firm which held a stake in the carrier prior to its collapse. Thyme Opco subsequently changed its name to Flybe, while the former company became FB Realisations.
