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Flybe (2022–2023)

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This article is about the airline that re-launched in 2022 and ceased operations in 2023. For the original Flybe that ceased operations in 2020, see Flybe (1979–2020).

Flybe
IATA ICAO Call sign
BE[1] BEE JERSEY
Commenced operations13 April 2022 (2022-04-13)
Ceased operations28 January 2023 (2023-01-28)
AOC #2470[2]
Hubs
Fleet size8[3]
Destinations17[4]
Parent companyCyrus Capital Partners
HeadquartersBirmingham Airport, Bickenhill, England
Key people
Websiteflybe.com

Flybe (pronounced /ˈflaɪˌbiː/), styled as flybe, was a British regional airline based at Birmingham Airport, England. It commenced operations using the name of a former airline in 2022, but ceased operations and entered administration on 28 January 2023.

History

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Predecessor

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Main article: Flybe (1979–2020)

The airline traces its history back to Jersey European Airways, which was set up in 1979 after the merger of Intra Airways and Express Air Services. The firm was renamed British European in 2000 and Flybe in 2002. In November 2006, Flybe purchased BA Connect, thereby becoming the largest regional airline in Europe. On 5 March 2020, the first airline named Flybe filed for administration and ceased all operations.

Relaunch

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On 19 October 2020, reports emerged that Lucien Farrell, in charge of former shareholder Cyrus Capital's European office had formed a new company, Thyme Opco, to purchase the Flybe brand and relaunch the airline, subject to regulatory approvals.[7] The new owner planned to "start small and restore regional connectivity in the UK" from 2021.[8] On 1 December 2020, Thyme Opco applied for a UK operating licence.[9] Thyme Opco also registered a 21-year-old de Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400, which was expected to be the first aircraft for the 'new Flybe',[citation needed] although that particular aircraft was subsequently transferred to PAL Airlines, a regional airline in Eastern Canada.[10]

In April 2021, the British Civil Aviation Authority granted the new airline an operating licence as well as Type A and B route licences, enabling the carrier to operate both charter and scheduled services.[11] The new company also obtained 86 slots at Heathrow Airport in London for the summer 2021 season, to be used for flights to Edinburgh and Aberdeen.[12] The 'original' Flybe company was renamed FBE Realisations 2021 Limited, with Thyme Opco Limited becoming Flybe Limited.[13][14]

On 3 June 2021, the operating licence for the original company was revoked following an unsuccessful appeal to the Transport Secretary. Despite initial beliefs that its legacy slots at UK airports had returned to the slot coordinator, this was shown not to be the case by coordinator ACL.[15] The new operating company also leased Heathrow slots from British Airways for routes to Edinburgh and Aberdeen.[16] On 26 October 2021, the new Flybe Limited confirmed that it had appointed David Pflieger as its chief executive.[17] That closely followed the appearance of an ex-Flybe Q400, registered as G-JECX, which had been painted with a new purple-and-white livery.[18] In November 2021, the airline announced that it had picked Birmingham Airport as its new base, with operations scheduled to begin in early 2022 to "key regions across the UK and EU".[19]

On 16 March 2022, Flybe announced that Belfast City Airport in Belfast, Northern Ireland would be the airline's second operating base.[citation needed] The company slogan was "Smile and go the extra mile".[20] The first flight took place between Birmingham and Belfast on 13 April 2022.[21] The company aimed to operate up to 530 flights per week on 23 routes, using a fleet of up to 32 Q400 aircraft.[22]

Decline

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Throughout its first months of operation, Flybe faced several operational issues, which it blamed on late aircraft deliveries. Twelve weeks after its launch, the company cancelled three routes, and reduced frequencies on five others but stated that they would return to their original frequencies during the winter.[23] Planned services from Aberdeen Airport in Scotland to Belfast, as well as Inverness Airport in Scotland to both Belfast and Birmingham never commenced. In September, the airline announced new service to the Isle of Man from Belfast and London,[24] however cancelled both services less than a month later, two days before the inaugural flights.[25] The company was criticised for giving Isle of Man's airport less than 30 minutes notice of its intention to cancel service,[26] and then announcing similar routes from Newcastle International Airport on a near identical schedule. Despite saying that the cancellation was due to aircraft shortages, the airline was required by Heathrow authorities to continue operating the route if it was to retain its highly valuable slots at the airport.[27]

In October 2022, Flybe ceased flights between Leeds and London,[28] largely due to low demand as a result of competition from rail networks, and confirmed that it would not be resuming services.[29] In the same month, the airline suspended flights to Southampton Airport planning to restart in February 2023, and further reduced frequencies again blaming late aircraft deliveries, despite having taken delivery of two additional aircraft which were reportedly unable to provide sufficient capacity.[30]

Demise

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On 28 January 2023, administrators were appointed and the airline ceased all operations.[31][32] About 75,000 passengers had their flights cancelled, including around 2,500 who had been due to fly that day.[31] There were 321 Flybe staff at the time and 277 were declared redundant.[31] In a response, competitors easyJet and Ryanair encouraged the laid off staff to apply for jobs in their companies.[33] Aer Lingus Regional announced that it would serve destinations previously operated by Flybe from Belfast.[34]

The administrators expressed hopes that a rescue deal could be struck and noted their intent "to preserve scaled-back elements of the operating platform for a short period".[35] In that respect, the administrators applied for a temporary operating licence, valid for up to 12 months to enable a restructuring proposal to be developed. Talks were held with the Lufthansa and Air France-KLM groups, which were both potentially interested in buying Flybe's assets including in particular its slots at Heathrow and Schiphol. The Heathrow slots were held by Flybe as part of the conditions imposed by competition regulators following British Airways' 2012 acquisition of BMI (British Midland International), and cannot be sold separately but only acquired as part of the business.[36][37][38] Despite "intensive" discussions with interested parties, no agreement was reached and on 15 February the administrators announced that the company would be wound down and the aircraft returned to lessors.[39]

The airline lost an average of £4 million to £5 million per month, and as of March 2023, administrators expect the total deficiency, after realising the airline's assets and paying preferential creditors, to amount to £82 million.[40] Flybe's landing slots at Heathrow have reverted to British Airways and the slots at Schiphol have been taken by the Dutch slot allocation authority.[41]

Corporate affairs

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The company's head office is on the second floor of Diamond House at Birmingham Airport,[42] within the metropolitan borough of Solihull.[43]

Parent company

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Flybe Limited, founded in September 2020 as Thyme Opco, is a private limited company which is owned by Thyme Investco Limited - the majority of whose shares are held by DLP Holdings SARL,[44][45] an affiliate of American hedge fund Cyrus Capital Partners. That was the same company which was involved in the purchase of the original Flybe in 2019.[46]

Services

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Flybe's Q400 airliners were outfitted with 78 all-economy seats[47] and several different ticketing options were available.[48] Passengers received a complimentary drink and snack on board, regardless of fare.[49]

Destinations

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As of May 2022, Flybe sold tickets on 22 routes to 16 destinations.[4][50][51] All flights were cancelled and not to be rescheduled as of 28 January 2023.[32]

Previous Flybe destinations[4][50][51]
Country City Airport Notes
France Avignon Avignon Airport Seasonal
Brest Brest Bretagne Airport Seasonal
Toulon Toulon Airport
Netherlands Amsterdam Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Switzerland Geneva Geneva Airport Seasonal
United Kingdom
Belfast George Best Belfast City Airport Hub
Birmingham Birmingham Airport Hub
East Midlands East Midlands Airport
Edinburgh Edinburgh Airport
Glasgow Glasgow Airport
Leeds Leeds Bradford Airport
London Heathrow Airport
Manchester Manchester Airport
Newcastle Newcastle Airport
Newquay Newquay Airport
Southampton Southampton Airport

Fleet

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A Flybe de Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400 at Birmingham Airport in Birmingham, England, January 2022

Before entering administration, the Flybe fleet consisted of the following aircraft.[3] Flybe expected to expand to a total of 32 aircraft.[22] Nordic Aviation Capital expected to lease 12 aircraft to Flybe,[52] and Aergo Capital was to supply a further five.[53]

Flybe fleet
Aircraft Total Orders Passengers Notes
de Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400 9 — 78

References

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  1. ^ "IATA – Airline and Airport Code Search". iata.org. Archived from the original on 15 December 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Holders of air operator certificates". www.caa.co.uk. Civil Aviation Authority. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Search the G-INFO aircraft register | Civil Aviation Authority". www.caa.co.uk. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Routes Operated". www.flybe.com. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  5. ^ Dyson, Molly (27 October 2021). "Re-emerging Flybe appoints new CEO". Business Travel News Europe. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  6. ^ Dyson, Molly (27 October 2021). "Re-emerging Flybe appoints new CEO". Business Travel News Europe. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Flybe set to fly again after brand is rescued". BBC News. 19 October 2020. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  8. ^ Dunn, Graham (20 October 2020). "Interest in revived Flybe shows continued faith in regional opportunity". FlightGlobal. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  9. ^ Coffey, Helen (3 December 2020). "Flybe could soon take to the skies again". The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  10. ^ "MSN 4014". Dash 8 World. Retrieved 19 April 2022.[permanent dead link‍]
  11. ^ key.aero - Flybe 2.0 - Second time lucky? 2 January 2023
  12. ^ "UK's flybe. secures Heathrow slots". ch-aviation. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  13. ^ "Change of name notice". Companies House.
  14. ^ "Change of name by resolution". Companies House.
  15. ^ Telford, William (13 October 2021). "Administrators look to claim cash from new Flybe company". Business Live. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  16. ^ "Completed Slot Trades - Airport Coordination Limited". ACL Airport Coordination. 16 May 2017. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  17. ^ Ltd, Jacobs Media Group. "Reborn Flybe appoints chief executive". Travel Weekly. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  18. ^ Perry, Dominic (26 October 2021). "Flybe appoints ex-Ravn Air chief to spearhead relaunch as crew recruitment push continues". FlightGlobal. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  19. ^ Perry, Dominic (17 November 2021). "Flybe picks Birmingham as first UK base and HQ". FlightGlobal. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Safety Manager - Aviation". LinkedIn. 24 July 2023.
  21. ^ Orban, André (13 April 2022). "Flybe's first flight takes to the skies from Birmingham Airport". Aviation24.be. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  22. ^ a b King, Ian (13 April 2022). "Flybe sets out to boldly achieve what no airline has done before". Sky News.
  23. ^ McDonald, Gary (7 July 2022). "More summer travel chaos as Flybe axes Belfast flights". The Irish News. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  24. ^ "Flybe: Airline returns to Isle of Man with new flights". BBC News. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  25. ^ "Flybe cancels scheduled Isle of Man winter flights". BBC News. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  26. ^ "Cancer patients may be losing out, TT 2023's "clear benefits", City of Douglas yet to mark the fact, Flybe gave less than 30 mins notice to quit and 40 years ago today Manx Airlines started. It's Update with Andy Wint #iom #news #manxradio - Manx Radio - Update". Manx Radio. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  27. ^ "Flybe to link Newcastle with London Heathrow". Business Traveller. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  28. ^ "Airline drops service from Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA)". Bradford Telegraph & Argus. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  29. ^ "Airline confirms service will NOT be returning to Leeds Bradford Airport". Bradford Telegraph & Argus. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  30. ^ "Flybe to scale back winter operation in Belfast due to 'unexpected late aircraft deliveries'". The Irish News. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  31. ^ a b c "Flybe: Regional carrier ceases trading and cancels all flights". BBC News. 28 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  32. ^ a b reuters.com - UK's Flybe enters administration, cancels all flights Reuters 28 January 2023
  33. ^ "Ryanair and EasyJet ready to snap up Flybe staff". BBC News. 29 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  34. ^ "Aer Lingus Regional Takes Over Two Flybe Routes from Belfast". 2 February 2023.
  35. ^ Perry, Dominic (28 January 2023). "Late aircraft delivery contributed to Flybe collapse, say administrators". FlightGlobal.
  36. ^ "CAA considers granting temporary operating licence to Flybe administrators". Travel Weekly. 8 February 2022.
  37. ^ Gill, Oliver (4 February 2023). "Lufthansa and Air France-KLM circle collapsed Flybe". The Telegraph.
  38. ^ "Lufthansa, Air France-KLM eye Flybe landing slots, report says". Reuters. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  39. ^ Kaminski-Morrow, David (15 February 2023). "UK's Flybe to be wound down as 'complexities' thwart rescue efforts". Flight Global.
  40. ^ Perry, Dominic (30 March 2023). "Failed Flybe was 'losing millions per month', say administrators, as total deficiency tops £82m". FlightGlobal.
  41. ^ "Joint Administrators' proposals: Flybe Limited - in Administration" (PDF). Interpath. 20 March 2023. p. 8. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  42. ^ "Conditions of carriage". Flybe. Retrieved 21 May 2022. Our address is: 2nd Floor, Diamond House, Birmingham Airport, Birmingham, B26 3QJ.
  43. ^ "LeisureParksEvents_Cycling_and_Walking_foldout_map.pdf" (PDF). Metropolitan Borough of Solihull. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  44. ^ "Flybe Ltd Companies House Confirmation Statement 2021". Companies House.
  45. ^ "Thyme Investco Ltd Companies House Confirmation Statement 2021". Companies House.
  46. ^ "Formation of Aviation Joint Venture – Company Announcement - FT.com". markets.ft.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  47. ^ "Flybe Bombardier Q400 Seating Chart - Updated April 2022 - SeatLink". www.seatlink.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  48. ^ "Ticket Types". www.flybe.com. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  49. ^ "Onboard refreshments". Flybe FAQ. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  50. ^ a b "Flybe Adds Geneva to Its Birmingham Winter Schedule". Airways Magazine. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  51. ^ a b "Our Winter 2022/3 Network". Flybe. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  52. ^ "NAC delivers one DHC8-400, MSN 4155, to Flybe Limited on lease". Nordic Aviation Capital. 26 November 2021.
  53. ^ "Flybe is now operating the first of five Aergo Capital Q400s under long-term leases". AVIATOR. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.

Further reading

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  • Richardson, Nigel (2023). Flybe. Airlines Series, Vol. 12. Stamford, Lincs, UK: Key Publishing. ISBN 9781802823578.
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