Flybe was once a huge force in European regional aviation. It grew to become one of the largest airlines, and operated a fleet of almost 80 Dash 8 Q400 aircraft. But all that ended when the airline collapsed in March 2020.
Nigel Richardson looks at the history of this fleet, and what happened to them…
Bombardier Dash 8-Q402 G-ECOG departing from Manchester Airport. (Nigel Richardson)
Former British regional airline Flybe was the world’s largest operator of the high-performance and fuel-efficient Bombardier (de-Havilland Canada) DHC-8-402 Dash 8-Q400 turboprop airliner. Flybe received its first Dash 8-Q400, registered as G-JEDI, in October 2001 while operating under the name of British European. In July 2002 the airline rebranded itself as a low-fare carrier and changed its name to Flybe, by which time a second Dash 8-Q400 had been acquired (G-JEDJ).
Flybe operated 79 Dash 8-Q400s during the eighteen-and-a-half year period through to early March 2020, when it filed for administration. At the time it went into administration, Flybe had sixty-five aircraft in its fleet, including fifty-four Dash 8-Q400s, making it the world’s largest operator of the type. But what became of the Dash 8s after the airline collapsed?
Initially the aircraft were placed in temporary storage until mid-2020 at various airports around the UK, including Aberdeen Dyce, Belfast City, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Manchester, Ronaldsway and Southampton.
From June/July 2020, the Dash 8-Q400s were returned to their respective lessors: Norddeutsche Landesbank (20 aircraft), Nordic Aviation Capital (18), HEH Aviation (11) and Chorus Aviation (5) for ongoing storage and future deployment.
Bombardier Dash 8-Q402 G-JECY of Flybe 2.0 in December 2022. (Nigel Richardson)
One of the first operators of six of the stored aircraft was the second iteration of Flybe, often referred to as Flybe 2.0.
The ‘new’ carrier began operating flights in April 2022, with a phased introduction of twenty-three routes that summer spanning sixteen airports in the UK, France and the Netherlands, using a fleet comprised entirely of the Dash 8-Q400. At the start of revenue operations, Flybe 2.0’s fleet comprised four aircraft (G-JECX; G-JECY; G-ECOE and G-ECOR).
Four more examples were added between July and November 2022, including G-FLBA and G-FLBB, and two ex-LOT Polish Airlines aircraft (registered as G-EXTA and G-EXTB). Less than a year after returning to the skies, Flybe 2.0 ceased all operations and entered administration on 28 January 2023, due to rising operational costs and a challenging market place, resulting in low passenger loads on Flybe 2.0’s flights.
Flybe’s Q400 Fleet Today
Bombardier Dash 8-Q402 AT C-FFQG of Conair Aerial Firefighting (previously G-KKEV of Flybe). (Dietmar Schreiber)
Bombardier Dash 8-Q402 9H-BEL was acquired by SkyAlps in June 2021, on lease from Chorus Aviation (previously G-ECOK with Flybe). It was operated by Luxair (on lease from SkyAlps) until March 2023. (André Gerwing, CC BY-SA 4.0)
The current status and role of each ex-Flybe aircraft is as follows:
| Stored by Aergo Capital Aircraft Leasing of Ireland then broken up | G-JEDM; G-JEDP; G-JEDU; G-JEDV; G-PRPC; G-PRPG; G-PRPO |
| In storage with Aergo Capital Aircraft Leasing | G-PRPE; G-PRPF; G-ECOE |
| Stored by Nordic Aviation Capital then broken up | G-PRPN |
| In storage with Formidion Aviation Capital from Dublin, Ireland | G-JECK; G-JECN; G-JECO; G-PRPJ; G-PRPK; G-PRPH |
| In storage with Regional One, a U.S. company which specialises in aircraft leasing, repair and maintenance | G-JECP (now 2-JECP); G-JECR (now 2-JECR); G-JECX (now 2-JECX) |
| 748 Air Services (Kenya) | G-JEDW (now 5Y-FEC); G-ECOA (now 5Y-FEB); G-ECOB (now 5Y-FEA); all currently on lease to the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service |
| Aero-Flite (US-based aerial firefighting company; acquired six DHC-8-402 ATs from Conair) | G-ECOF (now N990AC); G-ECOJ (now N998AC); G-ECOT (now N988AC); G-FLBC (now N993AC); G-FLBD (now N989AC); G-ECOH (on order) |
| Avanti Air (Germany) | G-JEDR (now D-AASG); G-PRPA (now D-AASH) – operated for Air Uniqon since January 2026 |
| Cobham Aviation (Australia) | G-ECOI (now VH-IYW) – operated by National Jet Express |
| Conair Aerial Firefighting (converted DHC-8-402 AT (Air Tanker) for aerial firefighting role) | G-JECZ (now C-FFQV); G-ECOC (now C-FFQL); G-KKEV (now C-FFQG); G-ECOD (now C-FFZY); G-ECOG (now C-FFZJ); G-ECOM (now C-FFZE); G-FLBE (now C-FFZX) |
| Dornier Aviation Nigeria Aiep (DANA) | G-PRPB (now 5N-CCS) |
| Flytec (Argentina) | G-JECM (now LV-KOY) |
| Luxwing (Luxembourg) | G-JEDT (now 9H-LWA); G-PRPD (now 9H-LWB) |
| PAL Airlines (Canadian regional airline) | G-PRPM (now C-GPNE) |
| Passion Air (domestic airline of Ghana) | G-PRPI (now 9G-BPD) |
| SATA Air Açores (Portuguese airline based in the Azores) | G-PRPL (now CS-TSE) |
| SkyAlps (Italian regional airline) | G-JECY (now 9H-MATI); G-ECOK (now 9H-BEL); G-ECOO (now 9H-EVA); G-ECOP (now 9H-SOP); G-ECOR (now 9H-MAYA); G-FLBB (now 9H-PAUL) |
| Universal Air (Malta) | G-JECL (now 9H-MMW); G-FLBA (now 9H-MIM) |
Did you ever fly on a Flybe Dash 8 Q400? Have you seen any of these aircraft lately? Leave a comment below!
The fuselage of Dash 8-Q402 G-JEDM after being broken up in May 2024. (Kris Van Craenenbroeck)
F
lybe the Book
Nigel Richardson, author of this article, is also the author of a book about the history of Flybe.
Established in 1979 as Jersey European, the story of Flybe is fascinating. It first ended in 2020, but a new incarnation briefly revived the brand, also to ultimately faily. With more than 140 images, this book charts the rise and fall of Flybe and the relaunch of Flybe 2.0.
Title image: Bombardier Dash 8-Q400s that were leased to Flybe by Norddeutsche Landesbank in storage at Saarbruecken, Germany, July 2020. (Matthias Becker)
4 comments
[…] This article was prepared by LibelulaFly as an independent aviation-news summary and editorial reinterpretation based on publicly available reporting. Images, when used, are included for editorial context with source attribution. Original source: http://www.airportspotting.com. Read the original article here: https://www.airportspotting.com/what-happened-to-flybes-dash-8-q400s/. […]
I currently work for NJE and used to work for Flybe and we also have VH – 8QB which used to be G – PRPH.
Hello Nigel,
I certainly flew these aircraft, in fact I was the Cabin Crew Lead Trainer who went to Toronto in 2001 and was first trained to operate this aircraft type for Flybe. I then developed the Traning programme with the Cabin Safety Manager and delivered the first ever course to the crew in front of the CAA.
Hello, I flew on 12 different Q400s over the period 2011-2019 from BHD, LCY ,MAN .GLA and ABZ .
One correction if I may is that G-PRPH was sold to NJE here in Perth in Aug 2024 and now VH-8QB
We also have ex G-ECOI now VH-IYW which arrived here April 2021.