Buzz to start flights from Bournemouth

Buzz, the UK's third-largest low-cost airline, yesterday announced it will start flying from Bournemouth Airport in a move that will create 200 jobs in the city.

Tony Camacho, the chief commercial officer of Buzz, which is based at Stansted, said: "We have been courted by a number of UK airports but ultimately we felt that Bournemouth had the strongest offering. We believe that it's a superb regional base for us to grow the South Coast market and offer flyers a welcome alternative to London Gatwick. Bournemouth is already the UK's fastest growing airport and is therefore ideally suited to become another low-cost, stress-free gateway to Europe."

Flights will start from Bournemouth in March 2003, with seats available for sale this autumn.

The airline also plans to launch a third UK base and another new mainland European base by the end of next year.

Buzz also announced that it is demerging from KLM's UK division from the start of November. It will then become a separate limited company within the KLM Group. Floris van Pallandt will head the new independent Buzz unit.

The deal with Buzz is the largest ever for Bournemouth Airport. Buzz estimates that it will put 750,000 seats into the market from Bournemouth in its first year. Plans to change the airline's aircraft will increase its seat capacity by more than 50 per cent by the end of 2003.