FLYBE has refused to comment on how many more jobs it will cut in Scotland after the regional air carrier announced plans to axe a further 500 staff across the UK.

Exeter-based Flybe, which connects Aberdeen, Glasgow and Inverness with airports around the UK, is poised to enter a 45-day consultation with unions over the cuts. The first wave of redundancies will come in January, with the rest occurring in March.

News of the plans sent shares soaring more than 40% to close 27.62p higher at 95.75p.

The cuts come after Flybe unveiled plans in January to axe around 21% of its UK workforce under a strategy which aims to save £40 million in 2013-14, rising to £50m the year after.

So far 350 staff have been made redundant, 95% on a voluntary basis, while 300 have moved on under TUPE (transfer of undertakings - protection of employment) regulations as Flybe has outsourced certain operations.

Chief executive Saad Hammad, who streamlined the senior management structure team at Flybe after succeeding Jim French in August, said the initial strategy "did not go far enough".

He declined to provide any geographical breakdown on the redundancies or on the roles which will be affected. Flybe currently employs 315 of its current 2700 staff in Scotland.

He also declined to comment on whether any routes to Scottish airports were under threat. Earlier this year Flybe offloaded its Gatwick slots to easyjet for £20m, which led to the Luton-based budget airline taking over the route between Inverness and the London airport.

Mr Hammad said: "I can't comment on specifics. All I can say to you is we do have a strong core of routes that we want to retain.

"But we do have a significant number of routes which are not profitable and cannot continue."

Mr Hammad's comments came as Flybe reported pre-tax profits of £13.8m for the half-year to September 30, compared with £1.6m last year, as the cost-saving plan started to yield fruit.

Group revenue in at £351.1m, compared with £341m for the same six months last year.

While he noted the underlying strength of Flybe's regional model, Mr Hammad stressed the importance of tackling excess capacity on its network, declaring that some aircraft may have to be grounded.

He explained: "Unfortunately we kind of strayed from that original mission over the years and unfortunately we built up an excessive cost base in trying to cater for that market. That is the background for the announcement today about proposed redundancies.

"In terms of how we have gone about our route development across the patch - it is not limited to one specific geography or part of the network - we have deployed too many aircraft.

"There is surplus capacity so we are going to have to ground some aircraft as we go forward.

"We have got too many frequencies on a number of our routes, we have too many routes that are simply unprofitable.

"In essence it is about shrinking to grow - but shrinking to a defensible strong core that provides a solid foundation for growth."

Mr Hammad plans talks with airport operators to call for charges to be lowered.

He also plans to continue lobbying the UK government over reducing airline passenger duty (APD) and said Flybe would publish a report in January outlining an alternative proposal to the duty.

Mr Hammad said the report will be "very up front about the punitive effect" the tax has on UK regional economies.

He said: "I think airline passenger duty is particularly punitive for a domestic airline like us, because on a return domestic trip the passenger has to pay the duty twice versus a short-haul international traveller who only pays it on the outbound leg.

"It is unfair, it is wrong, it does not make any sense. But I am not going to use that as an excuse not to tackle the core issues we have in the business that go beyond the punitive effect of APD."

However Mr Hammad said he does not believe ministers will be persuaded to cut the tax outright.

He said: "My sense is the government needs the revenue. But I think there is a better way, a more equitable way to raise that levy."