All new carrier CityWings will begin scheduled services from Lelystad Airport to London Stansted as of September 2003. During weekdays, there will be three departures from Lelystad: early morning, early noon and early evening. And in the meantime, research is being carried out into the possibilities of flights on Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings.

Flight time from gate to gate will be approximately one hour. CityWings ceo Leo Kompé told EBAN: “We are aiming the service at business travellers who live within 45 minutes car journey of Lelystad. Roughly 3.6 million people now live in this catch-ment area. In fact, Lelystad was our first choice because the airport has ATC and can easily be reached by car.

“Ticket pricing will be around 275 euros but we are investigating the possibilities of a combination fare which would include a train ticket from Stansted to the inner city of London.” Kompé is looking at aircraft capable of transporting 42-46 passengers, although the type has not yet been disclosed.