Starting in 1979 as Jersey European Airways, Flybe, with its headquarters and maintenance facility being located in Exeter, has always had a strong connection to the South West with flights operated out of Newquay, Exeter and Bristol. Flybe started life in the Channel Islands in the autumn of ’79 with the merger of Intra Airways Jersey and Express Air Services, initially operating aircraft such as the Douglas DC-3 and the Vickers Viscount to link the Channel Islands with mainland Great Britain. 1985 saw the acquisition of Spacegrand, a Blackpool based charter outfit. It was at this point that Exeter became home to Jersey European.
Report By Matt Sudol, Gary Morris, Simon Fewkes & Kev Slade
© South West Aviation Photographers 2020