flybe. (2002) (Exeter) will wet-lease two E190ARs from one of its shareholders, Stobart Air (Dublin International), starting on December 1, 2019.
The British regional carrier, which is due to rebrand as Virgin Connect in 2020, said in a press release that the two aircraft sourced from Stobart Air will be used to increase capacity on services from London City to Belfast City and Edinburgh. Currently, both routes are operated with Dash 8-400 turboprops, the ch-aviation schedules module indicates.
Stobart Air was wet-leasing the two E190s, its only jet aircraft, to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL, Amsterdam Schiphol) during the Summer 2019 season. EI-GHJ (msn 19000202) was ferried back to Dublin International on October 26 and has been operating Stobart Air's flybe. franchise services out of London Southend to Groningen, Newquay, and Rennes since then.
In turn, EI-GHK (msn 19000218) was ferried directly from Amsterdam Schiphol to Southend on October 26, 2019, and has remained in storage since then, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows.
Stobart Air's fleet also includes thirteen ATR72-600s and a single ATR42-600. In turn, flybe. operates three E195s, eleven E175s, fifty-four Dash 8-400s, and four ATR72-600s.
Stobart Air is part of Connect Airways consortium, which owns flybe. Other members of the consortium are Virgin Atlantic (VS, London Heathrow) and Cyrus Capital.
