Darwin's Cambridge international flights halted 'temporarily'

International passenger flights that began less than a year ago by a firm at Cambridge Airport are to "temporarily end", the airport has said.

Darwin Airline, now Etihad Regional, began offering flights to four European destinations last September.

Airport owners Marshall Group said the firm's scheduled flights would now cease at the end of the month, but a service to Verona would begin in May.

Etihad Regional has yet to comment on the move.

The firm offered flights, aimed mostly at business clients, to Paris, Milan, Amsterdam and Geneva.

Rumours about a lack of demand had continued for months, with services to Paris and Milan ending five weeks ago.

Terry Holloway, group support executive for Marshall, said Etihad was not pulling out of the airport and it was a "temporary suspension".

He said Etihad recently took over Darwin and it wanted to "review" its destinations.

He added there were a number of other matters that Etihad also needed to look at, but it was not unusual for airlines to "rethink" flights at this time of year.

The weekly flights to Verona will be the only European destination offered at the airport from 12 May, other than existing services to Jersey via Blue Islands.

Darwin Airline said last year it wanted to provide "focused, niche, quality business air travel services" and provide a "quick and efficient alternative" to other airports such as Stansted and Heathrow.