Flybe named best regional airline

[January 30th 2009]

UK airline Flybe has won the prestigious 2009 Regional Airline of the Year award presented by US publication Air Transport World.

Announcing Flybe as the winner, Air Transport World (ATW) said: “Flybe is an industry trendsetter. It has demonstrated innovation, adaptation and a willingness to take calculated business risks over its 30 year history as it has grown organically and through acquisition, to become Europe's largest regional airline”.

This is only the second time in the 35 year history of the ATW awards that the winner has been from the UK. No other British airline has won an ATW award in any of the 12 categories for seven years.

The judges also praised Flybe’s “strong commitment to safety and operational integrity” and its “successful growth strategy, including the acquisition of BA Connect in 2007, a bold stroke that has helped to catapult Flybe into its leadership position among Europe's regional airlines”.

Applauding Flybe as an airline industry trendsetter, ATW highlighted the airline’s commitment to operating a two-type fleet of fuel efficient aircraft, now one of the youngest in the world.

"Flybe was amongst the first to recognise the limitations of the 50-seat regional jets that revolutionised the industry in the 1990s, replacing them with larger, more fuel-efficient turboprops and 90-seat jets better suited to today's market realities," commented ATW editorial director, Perry Flint.

Flybe chairman and CEO, Jim French, says: “This is a fantastic honour not just for Flybe but also for British aviation. ATW is the industry ‘bible’ and for a British airline to win this award in the country that pioneered regional aviation is a tremendous achievement.

The ATW judges also praised Flybe for its groundbreaking ecolabel initiative. This informs passengers about the environmental impact of their journey, giving them what ATW describes as “an environmental report card” on each flight they take.

Flybe has won eight major awards in the last seven months, including being ranked number 1 in the Sunday Times 2008 Top Track 250 of privately-owned companies. Jim French was awarded the 2008 Regional Leadership Award at the Global Airline Strategy Awards.

Written by: Nick Purdom

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