Regional airline Flybe has said scheduled flights to and from Norwich will continue as planned in the summer..

It comes after the firm, which flies from Norwich International Airport, said it expected to sink into the red when it posts full-year results to March 31 2017, down from pre-tax profit of £5.5m last year.

This had led to a warning that it would stop unprofitable flying.

A Flybe spokesperson said: 'Flybe plans to operate its 2017 summer schedule as published to and from Norwich.'

The announcement came as it outlined the litany of problems facing the business, including weaker demand, price competition from rival airlines and train operators and flight cancellations caused by the weather.

It also warned that profits would be £5m to £10m lower following a major systems upgrade designed to bolster online sales and improve customer experience.

Chief executive Christine Ourmieres-Widener said the airline had moved to drive down costs while reducing its flight capacity. She said: 'I continue to be very excited about the opportunities in Flybe, especially as we are now able for the first time to take control of our fleet size to reduce overcapacity.

'Flybe is increasingly a digitally enabled business, with 80% of bookings already being made via our website.

'To seize this opportunity, we must first rebuild some of our core systems and this is now starting.

'We shall continue to reduce costs, work with our partners to improve efficiency and stop unprofitable flying.'

Updating on its performance, it said passenger revenue for the fourth quarter rose 9.8%, down from 13.5% in the quarter before.

However, passenger yield – a measure of passenger revenue without tax and levies – lifted by 2.9% over the period, up from 2.8% in the third quarter.

The airline has moved to reassure Norwich tourists by confirming the summer schedule will go ahead as planned.