Flybe collapse: Loganair to take on 16 of Flybe’s routes
Scottish regional carrier Loganair has said that it will cover 16 of failed airline Flybe’s routes, which will mean adding around 400 flights per week.
The 16 routes – from existing Loganair base airports at Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Newcastle – will be launched progressively over the next three months, with the majority starting next week.
The move, which was first announced by transport minister Kelly Tolhurst in parliament, comes as the government said that it “stands ready” to support the UK’s regional airports, many of which could be severely impacted by Flybe’s collapse.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “We are also urgently working with industry to identify how key routes can be re-established by other airlines as soon as possible”.
Flybe’s collapse, which came as slump in demand due to coronavirus fears saw the firm run out of cash after a £100 loan deal with the government fell through, will prove a test of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s commitment to “level up” the UK.
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Airports such as Anglesey in North Wales and Southampton on the south coast are almost totally dependent on the regional carrier’s services.
Philip Flower, the general secretary of the Independent Pilot’s Association, said that the impact would be much worse than is currently being forecast:
“It will be very hard for some regional airports to survive without Flybe”, Flower added.
The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) said that it was exploring which parts of the company could be rescued or sold in order to protect jobs.
General secretary Brian Strutton said: “2,000 staff members have today woken up to the loss of their jobs, and many thousand more airport and other workers in the supply chain will also be deeply concerned.
“I believe there is a good economic case for a strong regional UK airline. Flybe operated routes which were not only economically and regionally vital, but also profitable.