Eastern Airways

Early years

Co-founded by Bryan Huxford and Richard Lake, the airline started operations in December 1997 with a scheduled route between Humberside and Aberdeen with a leased Swearingen Metro, following KLM UK's withdrawal from the route. In February 1999, it purchased Manchester based Air Kilroe, granting the company an air operator's certificate and giving the airline a fleet of two BAe Jetstream 32 aircraft.^[7]

In 2002, the first BAe Jetstream 41 entered the Eastern fleet,^[7] the aircraft type which now forms the majority of the fleet.

12 aircraft and their associated routes were transferred from British Airways CitiExpress on 30 March 2003. An Embraer 145 and 135 were also wet leased from City Airline in 2003, which were then replaced with Saab 2000 aircraft, which peaked at 8 being operated by 2013 including acquisitions from Crossair and other European carriers.^[8]

In 2006, Eastern Airways wet leased a Dornier 328 from Cirrus Airlines for 6-months to operate a Newcastle to London City service before switching this onto the BAe Jetstream 41. Eastern Airways also purchased a Jetstream 41 training simulator.

As part of One North East's "Passionate People Passionate Places" campaign for North East England, Eastern Airways had a Jetstream 41 painted in promotional colours. It also featured in the 2007 Sunderland International Airshow. A Saab 2000 was also painted in a promotional 'Aberdeen City and Shire' colour scheme. The airline shut down its hub at the Isle of Man in August 2009, discontinuing routes to Birmingham and Newcastle upon Tyne from the airport.^[9]

Developments since 2010

In July 2010, the airline took delivery of an Embraer 135 with 37 seats and signed a lease on a second, thus adding jet aircraft to their fleet for the first time since the acquisition to replace their previously operated Embraer ERJ aircraft. They will be used mainly on charter services to central and Eastern Europe; however, they will also offer increased flexibility on the airline's scheduled flights.^[10] In July 2010, the airline named one of their BAe Jetstream 41 aircraft after the comedian Ken Dodd in celebration of the year anniversary of the start of their flights from Liverpool and Dodd's support shown in the region.

In September 2010, it was announced that Eastern Airways had bought Air Southwest, however shut down the airline a year later following continued losses and changes in the growth of flybe.

In August 2012, Eastern Group purchased the 82% Manchester Airports Group stake in Humberside Airport, becoming the primary airline serving the airport.

In February 2014, the Bristow Group, a major helicopter operator serving the offshore oil and gas industry, acquired a 60% interest in Eastern Airways^[11] and in 2018 acquired the remaining 40%. The airline continued to operate under the Eastern Airways brand.^[12] Bristow also acquired a controlling interest in the Australian airline Airnorth, another regional airline which operates fixed wing regional jet and turboprop aircraft. During this time, the airline's route network was focused on Aberdeen, providing service to the oil industry, as well as a smaller operation in Newcastle. The airline also commenced a number of French domestic routes in 2015, supported by PSO subsidies.^[13]

Facing increased competition from growing low-cost airlines and the aggressive UK expansion of airlines such as flyBe and Wideroe, the airline has significantly scaled back its schedule route network from Aberdeen, concentrating on contract and charter services for which Eastern Airways had become recognised as a market leader in delivering.

In March 2017, Eastern re-entered the Isle of Man with service to Belfast City, Glasgow and Newcastle, following the collapse of local airline Citywing.^[14] The airline also took over PSO-funded service between Cardiff and Anglesey, facilitating the opening of a base in Cardiff.^[15] Isle of Man service was cancelled a year later, whereas Cardiff service continued until the Welsh Government stopped providing funding in 2021.^[16]

Eastern also operated flights from the Isle of Man to London City Airport on behalf of British Airways using Saab 2000 aircraft.

Bristow Group

In September 2017, Eastern received its first of two new ATR 72-600. The aircraft operated on the Aberdeen – Scatsta route on behalf of Bristow Helicopters. With the Bristow Group in financial difficulties, it sold the Eastern Airways group of companies back to one of its founders, Richard Lake, in May 2019.^[17]

Eastern Airways & Flybe Franchise

It was announced on 21 September 2017 that Eastern Airways would enter a franchise with Flybe, starting on 29 October 2017. The franchise saw all scheduled flights operated by Eastern Airways carry BE (Flybe) flight numbers. Following Loganair's decision to end its partnership with Flybe, to remain on multiple markets flyBe announced a significant expansion onto routes also operated by Loganair using Eastern Airways to operate the services, largely targeting the Scottish Highlands, including introduction jet service into Sumburgh for the first time as part of the operating plan flyBe contracted Eastern Airways to provide.^[18] The last of these new routes was dropped by the end of 2018, citing a lack of demand for two competing airlines given capacity had doubled on many with a static market size.^[19]

On 5 March 2020, Flybe entered administration and ceased operations,^[20] resulting in Eastern Airways resuming flying under its own brand.^[21] Seeking to take advantage of Flybe's demise, the airline announced the opening of a base in Southampton, where Flybe had operated 95% of the airport's flights, with new routes to Manchester and Newcastle, eventually being joined by Belfast City and Dublin, along with pre-existing service to Aberdeen, Leeds/Bradford and Teesside.^[22] The routes from Manchester were subsequently cancelled.

In May 2021, Eastern commenced flying to Gibraltar for the first time, with services from both Birmingham and Southampton Airports, however cancelled both routes a year later as International Travel remained in slow recovery post Covid-19.^[23] The airline also commenced service between Cardiff and Belfast City, seeking to fill another gap left by Flybe's collapse, but suspended the route in early 2022 after the Welsh Government decided not to re-open the Cardiff-Anglesey PSO service suspended during Covid-19 and close Anglesey Airport sited in the RAF Valley Air Base, thus rendering the airlines Cardiff base unviable as a single route operation.^[24]

PSO contracts

Eastern Airways had previously operated the Welsh Government PSO service between Cardiff, Wales and RAF Valley from 2015 until the government removed funding for the service in 2022 and did not re-open the North-South connection to the capital post Covid-19.

In December 2021, the Eastern Airways were awarded the PSO contract to operate a service between Newquay and London Gatwick which between 2021 and 2024 has seen the growth of passenger volumes back to over 85,000 annually between Cornwall and London by 2024.

Additionally in April 2022 Eastern Airways were awarded another PSO contract in Scotland to operate services between Aberdeen and Wick. As the only air service into the Caithness Airport operated by the Scottish Government / Transport Scotland via the Highlands and Islands Airports group, with the aim of re-vitalising air travel from the remote region.

Both these PSO's remain operated in 2025 on the ATR72-600 and BAe Jetstream 41 respectively supporting directly and indirectly over 80 jobs between the two services labelled as lifeline air services.

Oil & Gas Contract

In 2024, with over a decade of operating between Aberdeen, Scotland and both Shetland Isles and Shetland Isles, for multiple oil & gas sector clients, Eastern Airways were awarded a seven year contract extension in conjunction with Bristow Helicopters to support BP Oils in their shuttle flying between Aberdeen Airport and Sumburgh Airport on the BAe Jetstream 41 and ATR72 fleet types.

KLM Cityhopper

In March 2024, Eastern Airways commenced an ACMI on behalf of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, taking over the operation of the Humberside Airport and Teesside Airport KLM services to Netherlands with additional flying to Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle Upon Tyne and Norwich on two Embraer E190 100-seat E-Jets.

By October 2024 this had expanded to Three Embraer 190 aircraft with the addition of Bristol as a base for KLM including operating to Southampton and Cardiff, Wales, and by March 2025 a fourth UK base had been added at Bristol with the addition of a fourth Embraer 190, bringing the airlines weekly seat capacity for KLM to 22,400 and over 1.15 million per year.

As this KLM Cityhopper and Eastern Airways ACMI relationship grows, ways of protecting the critical worldwide Amsterdam hub connectivity which is fundamental to regional UK economic prosperity will be added aligned to the E-Jet fleet expansion of the carrier.