BMI Regional is reportedly seeking to replace up to a quarter of its fleet with larger aircraft.
The privately owned airline has 20 aircraft each with either 37 or 49 seats.
But the carrier wants to take on larger aircraft carrying 80 to 100 passengers.
Chief commercial officer, Jochen Schnadt, said while no order had been placed yet, the move was “under active consideration”, with an expectation that the new craft could be in service as early as 18 months’ time.
He said four to six aircraft would be a “first step” but was unsure whether the company would buy the aircraft outright or lease them.
“We would see them as a replacement of existing aircraft where markets justify the deployment of larger aircraft, but would also see them as a growth vehicle,” Schnadt told the Daily Telegraph.
The carrier specialises in connecting regional centres within and between the UK and Europe.
Out of its 26 routes, just three have direct competition on them – Bristol to Paris; Aberdeen to Norwich and Aberdeen to Oslo.
Schnadt said the airline’s traffic was broadly split two thirds business and one third leisure.
He said many of the larger legacy carriers had retrenched from serving regions in the UK and on the continent, which had opened up opportunities for BMI.