BRITISH European (BE) Airlines has outlined its plans for the routes formerly operated by Gill Airways, which went out of business earlier this month.

The Exeter airline, part of Walker Aviation, has taken over the Belfast City and Paris Charles de Gaulle routes from Gill, and is looking at other routes, including Newcastle to Aberdeen, which is popular with workers in the oil industry.

A service from Newcastle to Jersey will operate in the summer months from next year, with the opportunity to expand it if it proves popular.

The growth of BE could also be good news for some of the 250 Gill staff who lost their jobs in the closure.

Jim French, managing director of British European said: "We have plans to recruit around 60 staff for our operations in Newcastle.

"We will need around 25 pilots and 30 cabin staff as well as ground crew and around five engineers. We will give consideration to former Gill staff who wish to apply."

He said: "We are delighted to add Newcastle to our network as it fits with our ethos of providing vital links to major regional centres throughout the UK."

BE honoured Gill tickets for the first few days of operation, but that has now ended.

Mr French said: "We couldn't leave Gill passengers stranded, so we decided to carry them, just to get them home as a gesture of good will. However, that has now ended as we are an airline, not a social service."

Gill's loyalty scheme, rewarding passengers with airmiles, has also been discontinued.

Mr French said: "We understand that Gill operated a loyalty scheme for its frequent fliers, but unfortunately that lapsed when Gill went out of business. We have our own scheme."

BE is the UK's largest independent regional airline, carrying more than 2.5 million passengers a year, and employing more than 1,500 staff.

Its 31 aircraft operate about 200 flights a day. In July, it underlined its commitment to growth by ordering 12 new jets from British Aerospace with a further eight to come.