Growth Slowed By Lack Of Qualified Pilots

The growth of european regional carrier Flybe is being slowed by a lack of qualified pilots, according to the airline.

Buying Business Travel reports that the carrier recently started flying from London City to Dusseldorf, Germany. But says that competition for pilots from other airlines is making expanding its network challenging. The company reported that its pre-tax profits have dropped from about $28.5 million to just under $9 million over the past year. “With the current market capacity growth, shortages of trained pilots are emerging that put further strain on Flybe's ability to grow the route network," the airline said in a statement.

The airline has also been affected by the drop in value of the pound compared to the U.S. dollar, according to the report.

Flybe executive chairman Simon Laffin said the market is "tough at the moment" because of excess seat capacity in the European short-haul market, but passenger numbers are rising across the industry. “Over the next 12 months, we will open our first European base in Dusseldorf and continue to cautiously test routes to maximize the returns from our existing capacity,” he said.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.flybe.com