UK regional airline Flybe ceases trading, cancels all flights - Reuters

LONDON, Jan 28 (Reuters) - British determination hose Flybe connected Saturday ceased trading for the 2nd clip successful 3 years, with each flights cancelled and 276 workers made redundant.

A connection connected Flybe's website said the airline, which operated scheduled services from Belfast, Birmingham and Heathrow crossed the UK and to Amsterdam and Geneva, had entered administration, a signifier of extortion from creditors.

"Flybe has present ceased trading and each flights from and to the UK operated by Flybe person been cancelled and volition not beryllium rescheduled," it said.

It advised radical owed to alert not to question to airports.

A spokesperson for administrators Interpath Advisory said astir 75,000 Flybe customers had aboriginal bookings that would present not beryllium honoured.

Headquartered successful Birmingham, Flybe operated flights connected 21 routes to 17 destinations crossed the UK and Europe utilizing a fleet of 8 leased Q400 turboprop aircraft.

David Pike and Mike Pink from Interpath were appointed associated administrators to Flybe.

Pike said Flybe had struggled to withstand a fig of shocks since its relaunch past year, not slightest the precocious transportation of 17 craft from lessors which severely compromised its efforts to physique backmost capableness and stay competitive.

He said scaled-back elements of Flybe's operating level would beryllium preserved for a abbreviated play portion determination was a anticipation of a rescue transaction. He encouraged immoderate funny enactment to marque interaction urgently.

A spokesperson for Interpath said 45 members of Flybe's 321-strong workforce had been retained for the clip being.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said it would supply proposal and accusation to affected passengers.

"It is ever bittersweet to spot an hose participate medication and we cognize that Flybe's determination to halt trading volition beryllium distressing for each its employees and customers," said Paul Smith, the CAA's user director.

Hurt by Britain's COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Flybe archetypal fell into medication successful March 2020, impacting 2,400 jobs.

In October 2020, it was sold to Thyme Opco Ltd, a steadfast controlled by Cyrus Capital, and successful April 2022 it resumed flights, albeit connected a smaller scale.

Flybe's demise contrasts with a post-pandemic pick-up successful request for aerial travel.

Low outgo airlines Ryanair (RYA.I), Europe's biggest airline, and Britain's easyJet (EZJ.L) person reported grounds bookings for summertime holidays, successful a motion that consumers are inactive keen connected trips contempt a looming recession.

Louise Haigh, the absorption Labour Party's transport spokesperson, said Flybe's illness was "devastating news" for unit and customers.

"Protection for passengers is simply not beardown capable – and ministers person sat connected their hands for years and failed to present long-promised hose insolvency laws," she said.

The Unite commercialized national said the authorities had failed to larn lessons from Flybe's archetypal collapse.

Reporting by Mrinmay Dey and Akriti Sharma successful Bengaluru and James Davey successful London, editing by William Mallard and Jason Neely

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