© Reuters. A Flybe plane takes off from Manchester Airport in Manchester, Britain January 20, 2020. REUTERS/Phil Noble/Files
LONDON (Reuters) – British regional airline Flybe went out of business for the second time in three years on Saturday, canceling all flights and affecting around 320 jobs.
A statement on Flybe’s website said the airline, which operated regular routes from Belfast, Birmingham and Heathrow across the UK and to Amsterdam and Geneva, had gone into administration, a form of protection from creditors.
“Flybe has now ceased operations and all flights to and from the UK operated by Flybe have been canceled and will not be rescheduled,” it said.
He advised people planning to fly not to travel to airports.
Headquartered in Birmingham, Flybe has around 320 employees.
It operated flights on 21 routes to 17 destinations across the UK and European Union using a fleet of eight chartered Q400 turboprop aircraft.
David Pike and Mike Pink of Interpath Advisory have been appointed as joint administrators of Flybe.
Pike said Flybe had struggled to weather a series of shocks since relaunching last year, not least the late delivery of 17 aircraft from lessors, which had seriously undermined its efforts to restore capacity and remain competitive.
He said the scaled-down elements of Flybe’s operating platform would be preserved for a short time while a bailout transaction was possible. He encouraged all those interested to get in touch urgently.
The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said it would provide advice and information to affected passengers.
“It is always sad to see an airline go into administration and we know that Flybe’s decision to cease operations will be distressing for all its employees and customers,” said Paul Smith, CAA consumer director.
Hurt by Britain’s isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Flybe first fell into administration in March 2020, affecting 2,400 jobs.
In October 2020, it was sold to Thyme Opco Ltd, a company controlled by Cyrus Capital, and in April 2022 it resumed flights, albeit on a smaller scale.
Flybe’s demise contrasts with a post-pandemic increase in demand for air travel.
Low-cost airlines Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline, and Britain’s easyJet ( LON: ) reported record bookings for summer holidays, a sign that consumers are still interested in travel despite the looming recession.