Teenage airline aims for take-off

Mr Reilly is hoping his airline will be another successful Liverpool export

A Merseyside teenager is set to join the ranks of no-frills travel operators with the launch of his own airline.

Daniel Reilly, of Maghull, set up Nexus Airlines in his bedroom after finding inspiration from a school project.

The 18-year-old now leases a Boeing 737 which will be flying to Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura from Liverpool's John Lennon Airport.

"I don't know if I will be the next Richard Branson, but I certainly wouldn't say no," he told reporters.

The airline is set to take off on 1 November, and prospective customers will be able to make bookings from 22 July.

The airline took off on the back of a business plan put together for his Business A-Level.

Flying start

"I started flying lessons when I was 16 and my friends started joking about us buying a plane together and flying people around the world," he said.

"I've always been interested in aviation so I decided to do my A-Level business studies project on setting up an airline.

"I called round a few airlines and asked how they had done it and I slowly realised it was quite achievable."

And not only is he waiting to not find out whether his plan was a commercial success, he's also waiting to discover whether it passed muster with examiners. Mr Reilly is currently awaiting the results of four A-Levels including Business Studies.

Commercially, the low-cost airline business is one in which new entrants face stiff established competition from operators such as Easyjet and Ryanair.

The teenager should also take heed of other young business men who have entered the arena.

Fellow 18-year-old Martin Halstead set up an airline earlier this year, flying between Oxford and Cambridge, but the inaugural flight of Alpha 1 Airways, planned for 18 April, has yet to take place.

On his website, Mr Halstead says the delay is down to a "major injection of funds" which he says will allow him to bring in "newer, bigger and better aircraft".