BUSINESS airline Scot Airways is pulling out of Southampton after succumbing to fierce competition from low fare rival Flybe.

Question marks now hang over 14 Southampton jobs, including pilots, cabin crew and engineers, although Scot Airways says it is "unlikely" anyone will leave the company.

Bosses have axed the firm's Southampton to Amsterdam route, where tickets cost from £100, just under a year after Flybe launched a rival service with prices starting at £27.99.

Thursday will see the end of a service which first took off almost a decade ago and before Flybe's arrival was "very, very successful".

It's the second time in as many months an airline has pulled out of Southampton, after Jetstream Express axed its route to Blackpool in July.

The battle for passengers is fiercer than ever in the skies above Southampton, with Flybe and Ryanair, which has a major regional base at Bournemouth Airport, engaged in a series of competing offers and public relations stunts.

A Scot Airways spokesman said: "It's clear from our experience that there's absolutely not enough scope for two airlines to run a route from Southampton to Amsterdam.

"I think it is fair to say that there's been an effect from Flybe being on the route. Flybe have a good track record at a number of airports where they have come in and deliberately launched a service on every route at the airport.

"At the end of the day we are in a competitive environment and we feel we can be more competitive by redirecting the aircraft away from Southampton.

"Obviously we will be sorry to see it go. We did everything we could."

An air industry insider, who did not want to be named, said Flybe wanted to be the only airline at the airport to improve its bargaining position.

"Flybe has no imagination," he said. "It jumps on existing routes operated by others. Because they go in at low fares which are uneconomic in the long term, all they are doing is buying market share and forcing incumbent operators off the route. They do it very well to be fair to them.

"Once they have got rid of all the other operators they will go to the airport and say we want a better deal."

The number of airlines operating at Southampton Airport has shrunk in recent years, particularly with the loss of BA Connect, which was subsequently bought by Flybe.

Flybe has a record of launching services on routes operated by rivals from Southampton, including Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, Leeds and Newcastle but has also launched a range of flights to new destinations across Europe.

A spokesman for Flybe, Europe's largest regional airline, said: "We tend not to respond to anonymous quotes, especially ones that sound like sour grapes and perhaps these should be regarded in that light.

"We are proud of what we have achieved at Southampton and one of the conditions of our acquisition of BA Connect from the Office of Fair Trading was that we free-up a stand at Southampton for anyone who wants to operate a route to Manchester.

"We always welcome competition."