Flybe collapse: Shock for staff after new lease of life, says Robinson

The collapse of regional airline Flybe has been devastating for staff who “felt they had got a new lease of life,” an MP has said.

Flybe had only restarted operations last April after a previous collapse in 2020.

On Saturday morning, its administrator confirmed 277 staff were being made redundant, including many at Belfast City Airport.

East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson said it came as a “total surprise and shock”.

Flybe operated 10 routes from Belfast City Airport, including services to Heathrow, Manchester, Glasgow and Amsterdam.

When Flybe collapsed in 2020 it was responsible for about 80% of Belfast City Airport’s flights.

More recently Flybe made up about 14% of flights at the airport.

The Federation of Small Businesses Northern Ireland (FSBNI) said whilst there was alternative provision to most destinations, these were at times provided by one airline creating concerns around monopoly provision.

In a letter to the Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris, policy chair Alan Lowry said: “I would urge you to engage as a matter of highest priority with your colleagues to see what role ministers might play in protecting this service to ensure effective service and competition.”

The first flight out of Belfast City Airport after the collapse had been due to leave for Newcastle at 07:00 GMT on Saturday.

“When I spoke to the airport they told me they first heard about this at 04:30,” Mr Robinson told BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme.

“Belfast City Airport is hugely important and very successful in Belfast terms and in economic terms,” he said.

The airport had been in talks with the company about its long-term plans last week, and that was seen as a fresh start for Flybe, added Mr Robinson.

“It was a new beast but gave vital opportunities for those who had worked for Flybe before to get job opportunities,” he said.

Mr Robinson reiterated that Flybe had covered a small proportion of the routes at the airport and it was engaging with other airlines to fill those gaps.

Overtures from Ryanair and Easyjet to Flybe – both to staff whose jobs were at risk and to customers whose flights had been cancelled – were comforting, he added.

The British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) said it had received phone calls in the early hours of Saturday morning from worried Flybe staff.

But the union’s leader Martin Chalk said there were jobs out there.

The Northern Ireland Consumer Council has raised concerns that Flybe was still selling tickets the day before the announcement.

“Certainly the administrators would be aware they were going to court the next day,” the council’s Richard Williams told BBC News NI.

“That’s something we want to put to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) about how they go about dealing with things – whether they should be suspending the sale.”

Customers who paid by credit card or debit card should be able to get their money back.

Regarding credit card purchases of more than £100, customers could use section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, said Mr Williams.

If a payment was less than £100 or if passengers used a debit card, they should contact their debit card issuer and ask for a refund.

British Airways, Easyjet and Ryanair have stepped in and have said they will provide flights at a cheaper cost than usual for those routes for Flybe customers.

The CAA has provided a phone number and Mr Williams advised customers to call that, rather than going through the website, to ensure they receive the reduced price.

The Consumer Council said it was important that passengers knew their rights with regards to compensation and assistance, and it pointed people to their website.

The number of Flybe staff based in Belfast is thought to be about 70 but we don’t have an exact figure.

It certainly had not built back to the numbers that would have been affected by the airline’s collapse in March 2020 – and ironically the aviation industry is in a different place compared to then.

Belfast International Airport has a huge number of vacancies and had a jobs fair on Saturday.

So for the staff this time around there will be opportunities.

But Saturday’s collapse raises questions about regional travel – you need scale for an airline to be profitable.

When Flybe went bust last time it was suggested that any profitable routes from Belfast would be snapped up by rivals.

One travel expert said it was a bigger surprise that the company came back at all.

On Saturday Belfast City Airport chief executive Matthew Hall said his thoughts were with Flybe employees and passengers affected by the “disappointing and unexpected” news of the company’s collapse.

However, aviation expert David Learmount said hope was not lost for Flybe.

“It doesn’t mean it cant be resurrected in the future as it’s been resurrected once before,” he told BBC News NI.

“The industry is very shaky trying to get back up after Covid.

“It was hit harder than almost any other industry so it could be viable once the business environment picks up again.”