Flybe or not flybe? That's no longer the question since the British airline ceased operations. Before the covid crisis, Flybe was the UK's largest regional carrier. The carrier was even the main carrier in Birmingham, Belfast City Airport, Exeter or Southampton.
In its heyday, Flybe operated routes to around thirty British cities. It carried up to 9.5 million passengers in 2018. In France, the company operated flights to some twenty cities.These include Avignon, Bordeaux, Rennes, Nantes, Toulouse and La Rochelle.
Covid gave the carrier its first break. At the beginning of 2020, Flybe was placed in receivership.. The carrier had been refused a £100 million loan by the British government to continue its operations. It then took a year for a new shareholder, linked to the American investment fund Cyrus Capital, to restart Flybe 2.0.
A key player in regional transport
The restructured airline offered 21 routes from Belfast City, Birmingham and London Heathrow in the United Kingdom, to Amsterdam and Geneva. Around 2,500 passengers were due to fly with the airline on Saturday. According to figures from the CAA, the UK's civil aviation authority, around 75,000 passengers had their flights cancelled.
The CAA has published on its website a list of other airlines offering Flybe customers special fares. Prices range from £29 to £50 depending on the airline, excluding taxes. While the railway company LNER allowed Flybe passengers to use its trains free of charge.
" It's always sad to see an airline go into receivership. We know that Flybe's decision to cease operations will be distressing for all its employees and customers." said Paul Smith, CAA's Director of Consumer Affairs.
