By Andrea Hargraves 
British airline Flybe has canceled all flights and filed for bankruptcy. In a statement, Low Cost, which was run by TAP’s current CEO Christine Ormeyer-Widner, said it had “discontinued the activity” and is advising customers not to go to the airport.
Flybe’s shutdown left about 2,500 passengers on the ground Saturday. And the British “low cost” company, which operates 21 routes, from airports such as Belfast, Birmingham and Heathrow, canceled flights for a total of about 75 thousand passengers. Britain’s National Civil Aviation Authority (CAA, in its original acronym) is advising those affected, as the airline says it is unable to arrange alternative flights for those affected.
The statement posted on the company’s website reads: “Flybe has ceased operations and all flights to and from the UK operated by Flybe have been canceled and will not be rescheduled.” “If you will be flying with Flybe today or in the near future, please do not go to the airport unless you have an alternative flight with another carrier,” the statement adds.
According to this message, passengers who purchased their flights through an intermediary service must go to the company that sold them tickets. Flybe management confirmed that 227 of the 321 workers had been fired. Audit firm Interpath confirmed that the remaining 44 remained in service.
The BBC says the government’s “immediate priority” is to support passengers trying to get home, despite the fact that almost all Flybe destinations have commercial alternatives, as well as people who have lost their jobs at the British “low-cost airline”. TAP’s current CEO, Christine Ormeyer-Widener, between January 2017 and July 2019.
“It’s always sad to see an airline enter bankruptcy proceedings, and we know Flybe’s decision to cease operations is a concern for all workers,” CAA director of customer service Paul Smith told clients. The authority’s website, or Twitter, for more information.
“The environment continues to be challenging for airlines, new and old, as they recover from the pandemic, and we understand the impact this decision will have on passengers and Flybe workers,” added Paul Smith.
This is the second time in less than three years that Flybe has been forced to land. In March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic crisis, the company announced the closure of its activity, citing the restrictions of Covid-19. The company was rescued by Thyme Opco, a company linked to hedge fund Cyrus Capital, which was renamed Flybe Limited, and returned to flying in April 2022, operating about 530 flights a week on 23 routes.