Luxair (LG, Luxembourg) will launch a new route between Antwerp and London City on January 16, 2023, marking its return to services not touching its home base at Luxembourg airport.
The carrier will initially operate the service 4x weekly, increasing to 5x weekly on March 29, 2023, using its DHC-8-Q400 turboprops. The aircraft will overnight at London City for two days a week to operate the early morning departure to Antwerp but will otherwise remain based at Luxembourg airport. The carrier serves London City from its home base but does not fly to Antwerp or any other Belgian city for the time being.
The Antwerp-London City route used to be operated by Air Antwerp (Antwerp) through November 2020 with up to 3x daily Fokker 50 flights. The airline eventually collapsed under financial duress in mid-2021. flybe. (2002) and VLM Airlines (Antwerp) also served the route in the past.
For Luxair, the route marks the return of flights beyond its home market. It used to operate in the German domestic market in 2019, connecting Saarbrücken with Berlin Tegel. It discontinued the service due to a lack of agreement with the regional authorities over incentives. However, CEO Gilles Feith told ch-aviation in an interview this year that Luxair was evaluating foreign markets, recognising the limited size of its home catchment area.
"The opening of this new route between London City and Antwerp is a new challenge for Luxair and an opportunity to once again pursue new possibilities. This new service is part of the innovation process that Luxair has been undertaking since the COVID-19 crisis," Feith said in a statement.
