An airline has launched a novel “hop-on, hop-off” service in an effort to encourage more Britons to take domestic flights.

Billed as a “shuttle bus in the sky”, Flybe’s new FlyShuttle service will see a 78-seater aircraft fly from Jersey to Aberdeen each morning, stopping at Southampton and Leeds Bradford en route to pick up and drop off passengers.

The daily Monday-Saturday flight will depart from Jersey at 7am, stopping at Southampton at 7.45am and Leeds Bradford at 9.35am, before terminating in Aberdeen at 11.15am.

A southbound service will ply the same route, departing Aberdeen at 7am, reaching Leeds Bradford at 8.25am, Southampton at 9.55am and Jersey at 11.20am.

While innovative, the northbound service could be hindered by the fact that all passengers must disembark at Southampton to clear UK customs, even if their final destination is farther north.

The 40-minute wait at Southampton, and the 20-minute hold-up at Leeds Bradford could also deter those wanting to fly direct from, say, Jersey to Aberdeen.

Flybe's 'shuttle bus in the sky' - will it take off?

However, Paul Simmons, Flybe’s chief commercial officer, insisted the “convenient” concept “gives customers extra choice and additional connectivity for everyday air travel”.

“Today's announcement is another significant landmark in the re-birth of Flybe,” he added. “We are again showing that we are faster than road or rail – and certainly more affordable.”

The FlyShuttle service starts on October 26 (Photo: Getty)

Tickets for the FlyShuttle service – which starts on October 26 - will cost from £29.99 one-way.

Flybe, based in Exeter, was forced to downsize its operations last year, cutting hundreds of jobs and selling 25 pairs of arrival and departure slots at Gatwick.

It returned to profit in September, however, and has since launched eight new routes from Birmingham, four from Southend, and five from London City. It currently operates 171 routes in 16 countries.

Example FlyShuttle times

Northbound

Departs Time Arrives Time

JER 0700 SOU 0745

SOU 0825 LBA 0935

LBA 0955 ABZ 1115

Southbound

Departs Time Arrives Time

ABZ 0700 LBA 0825

LBA 0845 SOU 0955

SOU 1035 JER 1120

See flybe.com for full details.

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