Flybe collapse: Regional airports braced for ‘massive impact’
The collapse of Flybe could have a “massive impact” on the UK’s regional airports, with considerable doubts as to whether some of the regional carrier’s routes would be taken on by other operators.
Aviation consultant John Strickland told the PA News Agency that it would be a “challenge” to get replacement airlines, describing it as “difficult but not impossible for many of the routes”.
Kelly Tolhurst, who is responsible for the sector, told parliament that government was “urgently working with industry to identify opportunities to fill routes” and that it “stands ready to support the sector”.
She added that Scotland’s Loganair had already committed to keeping 16 Flybe routes open.
Many of the UK’s regional airports were extremely dependent on Flybe for the majority of their services, and will now be faced with the challenge of plugging gaps in their programmes.
According to travel data site Cirium, 95 per cent of Southampton Airport’s scheduled departures in 2019 were with Flybe, whilst the regional airline accounted for 79.5 per cent and 78 per cent of Belfast and Exeter’s services respectively.
Belfast City Airport’s Brian Ambrose said he was “extremely disappointed” with the news, and that “negotiations with a number of carriers are already underway”.
He added: “From Belfast City Airport, Flybe had operated a strong and profitable base of 14 routes to key regional destinations across the UK, including international hubs such as Birmingham and Manchester.
“The airline was a significant economic driver for the region, carrying 1.6m passengers to and from Belfast in 2019″.
Cornwall Airport in Newquay will also likely take a significant hit from the collapse. Mark Duddridge, chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly local enterprise partnership, said:
“Regional connectivity is vital to our economy and levelling up other parts of the UK, and Cornwall Airport Newquay is worth £50m a year to our economy.
“Our focus now is to safeguard Newquay’s route to London, which carries 185,000 passengers a year, and to work with our partners to secure new airlines as quickly as possible”.
London airports are also set for a smaller hit. Flybe made up eight per cent of London City’s passenger volumes, with up to 73 return flights a week out of a total of 800.