UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, has announced the eleven domestic and regional routes set for an initial GBP7 million (USD10.7 million) in start-up funding under the UK government's Regional Air Connectivity Fund (RACF).
The funding will allow the routes, that are at present commercially unviable, time to mature, build passenger numbers and deliver a more sustainable service.
The finalized list of routes includes:
- Stobart Air (Dublin International): Carlisle-Belfast International (Daily return service); Carlisle-Dublin International (Daily return service); and Carlisle-London Southend (Daily return service);
- flybe. (2002) (Exeter): Dundee-Amsterdam Schiphol (Daily return service); Newquay-Leeds/Bradford (5x weekly return service in summer; 3x weekly return service in winter); Norwich-Exeter (Daily return service); Southampton-Lyon St. Exupéry (Double daily return weekdays single return weekend); and Southampton-Munich (Double daily return weekdays single return weekend);
- Citywing (Isle of Man): Londonderry City of Derry-Dublin (Double daily return week days, single return Sunday);
- Links Air (Humberside): Norwich-Newcastle, GB (Weekday double daily return); and Oxford Kidlington-Edinburgh (Double daily return week days, single return Sunday).
Flights are expected to begin from Spring 2016.
Launched in June 2013, the RACF offers airlines financial support to open up domestic and international routes to UK airports which see fewer than 5 million passengers per year. The fund has a total of GBP56 million (USD86 million) available to cover three years of financial support for each route's initial start-up phase.
