BRYMON Airways has taken delivery of its first jet as it plans to launch new flights to mainland European destinations.
The British Airways subsidiary is currently evaluating which routes to start from its Bristol hub as more 50-seater Embraer 145s arrive. Likely cities include Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Zurich and Milan.
Brymon has ordered seven of the Brazilian Embraers in a multi-million pound deal to complement its Dash 8 turboprop fleet. Options are also available on 14 extra jets.
The airline also has the opportunity to upgrade the options to 70-seater Embraer 170 aircraft if loads demand it.
The first two Embraers will be leased to BA franchise carrier British Regional Airlines for Birmingham services to Frankfurt, Munich, Brussels, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Brymon’s first Bristol-based jet arrives at the end of next month and will be used on Paris and Edinburgh routes.
The rest of the order arrives over the next 12 months.
Brymon arranged for staff including cabin crew and pilots to go to Brazil for training on the new jet last month. Other staff will also be trained on it during March as the aircraft is taken around UK airports. The introduction of the Embraer allows the BA carrier to offer a business-class product for the first time.
Club Europe, BA’s short-haul premium cabin, will be available on flights to Paris for the summer season and should provide a significant boost to revenues.
Brymon has not revealed which routes will be launched this year but general manager business development Bryan Field confirmed new services are planned.
He said: “The addition of jet aircraft to the Brymon fleet enables us to explore new markets and allows us to offer customers greater comfort and reduced flying time on existing routes.”
Brymon’s plans will boost traffic at its Bristol hub.
The airport officially opened its £27m new terminal this month to provide extra capacity.