Flybe ceases trading, what went wrong?

[twevsmiff]

https://simpleflying.com/flybe-competition-74-percent-routes/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=Echobox-SF&utm_medium=Social-Distribution&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR0uuhwavVW0d_vCOIfstdU8ifohRVX9mb2cdswcbIVwzg3b41GwmFEBLYc#Echobox=1675078109

Some interesting facts and figures about the airline and its demise
#Flybe

 

[LBAYORKIE]

https://simpleflying.com/flybe-competition-74-percent-routes/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_campaign=Echobox-SF&utm_medium=Social-Distribution&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR0uuhwavVW0d_vCOIfstdU8ifohRVX9mb2cdswcbIVwzg3b41GwmFEBLYc#Echobox=1675078109

The Flybe thread is closed but I thought this article was worth a read.
Some interesting facts and figures about the airline and its demise

Good article. Thanks.

 

[737 400]

Presumably the entire former Flybe fleet is now impounded, awaiting completion of legalities etc, before being repositioned by the leasing company?

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Good article. Thanks.

Did they do anything right?

 

[Nethercote2019]

Flybe 3 anyone ?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/flybe/

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Flybe 3 anyone ?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/flybe/

Do you have a direct link to the article? This just appears to be a long list of Flybe news reports.

 

[Nethercote2019]

Lufthansa, Air France-KLM eye Flybe landing slots - report​

ReutersSat, 4 February 2023, 8:04 pm GMT
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Lufthansa and Air France-KLM are circling collapsed UK regional airline Flybe to try to obtain its take-off and landing slots at London's Heathrow Airport, Britain's Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday.

Lufthansa and Air France-KLM declined to comment.

The Telegraph said the two airlines were in talks with the administrators of Flybe, which a week ago ceased trading and went into insolvency for the second time in three years, with all flights cancelled and 276 workers made redundant.

Administrators from Interpath Advisory may have just days to agree to a rescue that would avoid the business being wound up, the newspaper said, citing sources in London's financial community.

Lufthansa and Air France-KLM are interested in Flybe's seven pairs of take-off and landing slots at Heathrow and five pairs at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, the report said.

Suitors would need to take on many of the bankrupt airline’s liabilities as well as the potentially lucrative assets, it quoted one source as saying.

If a buyer for Flybe cannot be found it is likely that the slots would be returned to a central pool run by the airports coordinator, it said.

(Reporting by Ilona Wissenbach; and Camille Raynaud; Writing by Vera Eckert; Editing by Mark Potter)

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Thanks!

From the -

Flybe 3 anyone ?

I was expecting something more along the lines of the management were trying to raise new funding. Not that I think it would have worked.

 

[Finger66]

Interesting post on pprune today around a possible temporary operating licence for BE mk2. Haven’t got time to go into detail here and now but worth a read on the other forum for anyone who may be interested

 

[twevsmiff]

CAA considers granting temporary operating licence to Flybe administrators | Travel Weekly

Carrier can’t operate but licence could allow restructuring

travelweekly.co.uk

The Flybe thread is closed so I have posted this here.

Copied from the LBA > General Thread.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

CAA considers granting temporary operating licence to Flybe administrators | Travel Weekly

Carrier can’t operate but licence could allow restructuring

travelweekly.co.uk

The Flybe thread is closed so I have posted this here.

Very interesting. The slots seem to be the thing that might allow the airline to resurrect.

 

[Kevin Farnell]

Very interesting. The slots seem to be the thing that might allow the airline to resurrect.

Reading through the article, I think that the resurection of Flybe is very unlikely. It would appear that Lufthansa or Air France/KLM might buy the rights to Flybe, in order to obtain the lucrative slots. Flybe would most likely then be shut down and any remaining assets sold off.

 

[LBAYORKIE]

Reading through the article, I think that the resurection of Flybe is very unlikely. It would appear that Lufthansa or Air France/KLM might buy the rights to Flybe, in order to obtain the lucrative slots. Flybe would most likely then be shut down and any remaining assets sold off.

I can't see AF/KLM obtaining the slots in that way. My assumption is they have to buy Flybe from the administrators and then continue to.operate as Flybe, albeit possibly as an AF/KL subsidiary.

 

[Aviador]

Many people were sceptical about the relaunch of Flybe in the first place. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. The fact is, their name is tarred and even customers who gave the new outfit a chance will not take any further attempts to resurrect the airline seriously. If the airline can be saved, they will need to change their name.

 

[Silvercity]

Many people were sceptical about the relaunch of Flybe in the first place. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. The fact is, their name is tarred and even customers who gave the new outfit a chance will not take any further attempts to resurrect the airline seriously. If the airline can be saved, they will need to change their name.

After the poor performance of their second attempt, I can't see how a 3rd attempt would warm prospective passengers.

 

[Seasider]

As already said, I think it is the LHR slots that are of value to a prospective buyer

 

[paully]

As already said, I think it is the LHR slots that are of value to a prospective buyer

I agree..I bet this is an attempt to sell the shell of V2 to however wants to acquire the very valuble LHR slots. Thyme Opco and others have lost a lot of money on V1 and set up V2 to try to recuperate it, hence putting it up for sale before their first operations. This seems to be yet another attempt to cream back money they were silly to lose in the first place. No mention of compensation for the 75,000 forward bookings or proper redundancy for the over 300 staff who lost their jobs...Lets hope the CAA make the right decision.

 

[A400]

Over 70% of their routes had competition. NCL-LHR was always the route that baffled me when BA do 4/5 daily services and also baring in mind there’s many train services to London. Obviously it was to keep their LHR slots but they would have been better sticking with LBA in my view as yes there’s the train but the route had no competition with BA.

In my view they tried to compete on to many routes that are already served rather than venture into new routes not served by other airlines.

 

[Finger66]

LBA is a prime example here. So much potential from a massive catchment area that no airline seems to want to tap into. Flybe mk2 missed a trick there........

 

[Kevin Farnell]

In my view they tried to compete on to many routes that are already served rather than venture into new routes not served by other airlines.

I agree, with their HQ at BHX they should have concentrated on getting that operation viable (routes to AMS, BHD, EDI and GLA), before looking at a second base. A second base at BHD, would then allow connections to other UK cities. Again, giving time for these routes to become established before looking at further expansion.

LBA is a prime example here. So much potential from a massive catchment area that no airline seems to want to tap into. Flybe mk2 missed a trick there........

Unfortunately, that potential is already tapped into, but mostly from MAN rather than LBA. If the passengers are travelling to where the airlines are operating from, they are unlikely to go to the cost of operating from another base. MAN would consider Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield within it's catchment area, as it does Birmingham and the West Midlands.