European regional carrier CityJet is to introduce two new routes from Cambridge Airport including the return of an important hub connection to the Dutch capital, Amsterdam. The Irish carrier will also introduce a regular link from Cambridge to Dublin providing a major boost to the airport, located to the north of London.

CityJet will offer up to two daily rotations on the routes from May 12, 2014 using a 50-seat Fokker 50 turboprop. On weekdays the carrier will offer two rotations per day, while a single rotation will operate at weekends. The expansion represents the first notable changes to the Irish carrier’s network since it was acquired in the past few weeks by the German company, Intro Aviation.

“We decided to launch new routes from Cambridge as we saw a unique opportunity for success, particularly with our strong presence in both Dublin and London already,” said Christine Ourmières, chief executive officer, CityJet. “We know that the market has the demand on the route and we know that we can provide vital access to these communities. Cambridge fits our model of service and regional airports as well, serving those communities for both business and leisure.”

The Amsterdam route was recently suspended by Swiss carrier Darwin Airline after it started to fly under the Etihad Regional brand following the investment by United Arab Emirates (UAE) national carrier Etihad Airways in the business. The carrier had launched flights from Cambridge to Amsterdam, Paris, Milan and Geneva in September 2013 after basing a single Saab 2000 at the airport, but ended flights to all four destinations by the end of the winter season, although it will fly to Verona from May 17, 2014: a route supported by tour operator demand.

According to official data from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), just over 7,500 passengers flew on the four cancelled routes from Cambridge during the last four months of 2013 with Amsterdam by far the most successful destination, accounting for 59.4 per cent of the total passenger count.

Cambridge is one of the UK’s fastest growing economic cities but its close vicinity to Stansted Airport means it has previously found it difficult to secure and sustain regular air services. Cambridge Airport officials say the airport has several geographical advantages in being 1.5 miles from the centre of a major university city, near to world-leading medical, scientific and technology R&D clusters surrounding the city, connected to the M11 and just one hour by rail from central London (comparable with many ‘London’ airports) and with a large four million catchment in the Eastern England region.

“We’re delighted to be working with such a dynamic and established international airline to welcome these important route openings to thriving European capitals – Amsterdam and Dublin,” said Steve Jones, managing director, Cambridge International Airport. “Its close and lasting partnership arrangements with KLM, Air France, Delta Air Lines and other partners will give Cambridge its greatest ever worldwide reach and offer travellers in this region significantly more choice and convenience with regards to both long and short haul travel connectivity, via Amsterdam, and now also via Dublin’s impressive and hassle-free US Border Control clearance facility.”

Up until now CityJet’s main UK focus has been at London City, where it is one the largest carriers operating out of Docklands airport, but it has been studying a number of emerging markets to support its development strategy and maintain less of a reliance on its codeshare flying for its former owner, Air France. This has already seen the carrier launch four new routes out of Cardiff Airport this year, with links to Paris Orly and Glasgow starting in January, followed by the Edinburgh route which launched on March 30, 2014 and Jersey on April 17, 2014.