Flybe could be poised to pick up slots previously used by Virgin Atlantic’s short-lived regional carrier Little Red at Heathrow.
Weekend reports said the carrier is looking at challenging BA’s monopoly on regional flying at the airport and that plans are in their final stages.
BA has to make the Little Red slots available free to competitors as part of a condition imposed on the airline following its takeover of BMI in 2012.
The Sunday Times said Flybe refused to comment on the speculation but reported that the airline will use small turboprop aircraft on the routes which are cheaper than conventional jets.
The newspaper said the routes could provide valuable feeder services to many of BA’s rivals at Heathrow.
Little Red was established to feed regional traffic into Heathrow for Virgin Atlantic from key cities around the UK such as Glasgow.
However, the venture was closed in 2014 after just two years with the routes not proving to be profitable.
The Sunday Times said Flybe, which his undergoing its own financial turnaround, will only operate the routes if the right slots are made available and the right price for access the Heathrow’s terminals.