The UK government has received 19 bids for its annual Regional Air Connectivity Fund.
The fund was established in 2013 and is available for brand new routes from regional UK airports that handle fewer than five million passengers a year.
Among the 19 bids which have been received during the initial application stage include:
- Daily Flybe route between Norwich and Paris Charles de Gaulle (proposed to start April 1, 2016)
- Double daily Flybe route between Norwich and Dublin (proposed to start April 1, 2016)
- Daily Stobart Air route between Carlisle and Belfast (proposed to start April 1, 2016)
- Daily weekday Bmi Regional route between Doncaster Sheffield and Frankfurt (proposed to start April 1, 2016)
A short-list of routes that have met the necessary criteria will be published in May, with successful bids being announced in July.
A total of £56 million is being made available through the fund, to cover three years of financial support for start-up aid. A full list of the 19 submitted bids can be seen here.
Previous beneficiaries of the funding include Flybe's Newquay to Gatwick airport route, which Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander referred to as being "vital for Cornwall's businesses, tourist industry and residents".
Mark Caswell
