Monday 06 March 2017 12:41 pm

Passenger numbers have quadrupled at British Airways’ regional airline business in 10 years

The number of customers using British Airways' regional airline business BA CityFlyer has quadrupled since its creation 10 years ago.

British Airways is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its regional airline subsidiary, which was launched on 5 March 2007.

Adam Carson, BA CityFlyer's managing director, said: "Initially a business-based airline we listened to what our customers told us and moved into leisure flying as well, reaching a whole new market but at the same time expanding our core business network."

"London City and Edinburgh airports have both been key to our operation, with aircraft and crews based there, but adding another London airport, Stansted, to our network was a major expansion ahead of new regional flying from Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol from May this year," he added.

The BA CityFlyer operates a network of domestic and European services from its main base at London City Airport. It was launched in 2007 with 144 flights a week, and this summer it will fly from London City and regional airports to a record 54 destinations in the UK and Europe.

It has gradually been notching up new destinations and new airports. Last February, BA announced it would fly from Stansted for the first time, covering four European beach destinations: Palma, Malaga, Ibiza and Faro.

And at the beginning of this year, summer seasonal services were announced from Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Dublin and Birmingham to destinations across Spain, Italy, Greece and France.

BA CityFlyer has focused on business customers at London City, offering passengers a schedule that enabled them to do a full business day in some of Europe's major cities, with a same-day return option. But it has also expanded its leisure flying too, with two million seats on sale from London City this summer.