Low cost carrier Flybe is readying itself to serve Nantes over the busy holiday season.
From July 15, Flybe will fly six-times weekly between London Gatwick and Nantes, and its competitive pricing is likely to appeal to business travellers as well as holidaymakers.
The only airline currently serving Nantes out of London direct is Cityjet, which flies from London City Airport. But Flybe is (so far) the only no-frills, low-fare airline set to serve Nantes out of the capital.
Flybe described Nantes as “Brittany’s most important commercial hub” and a key regional destination within France.
Air France-KLM subsidiary VLM last year launched a service to Nantes out of London City Airport (see online news May 16). Fellow AF-KLM subsidiary Cityjet effectively took over the service when VLM’s fleet was merged into Cityjet’s towards the end of last year.
At the time VLM was the only airline to link London and Nantes, with budget carriers Ryanair and Easyjet having severed ties months earlier leaving a tempting gap in the market.
VLM estimated that around 160,000 people travelled between London and Nantes with Easyjet and Ryanair every year, setting its sights on just a quarter of that. Flybe will no doubt look to make up the shortfall.
For more information visit flybe.com.
Report by Andrew Gough
For more on Nantes as a destination, see Break For Brittany in this month's edition of Business Traveller.
