Councillors and Newquay MP react to Flybe falling into administration
Flights to and from Newquay with Flybe were yesterday "cancelled with immediate effect"
Last updated 9th Jun 2024
The reaction is now flooding in after the announcement yesterday that Cornwall Airport Newquay is to lose two routes after regional operator Flybe collapsed into administration.
Flybe was handed an operating licence in April 2021, after a new airline was set-up in its name following the collapse of the operator back in 2020.
At the new airline's peak, they operated services on 22 routes to 16 destinations, with Belfast and Birmingham being their two hubs.
And despite being once a huge operator in Exeter, they hadn't yet made a comeback into Devon.
They had, however, two routes flying out of Cornwall Newquay Airport - to London and Manchester.
The local reaction
Newquay's MP and two councillors have spoken to us with their reaction following the demise of the airline once again.
Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay, said: "It's a real disappointment to hear the news. We'd all seen it as a really positive thing that they'd been operating from Newquay Airport in recent months.
"Clearly this is an indication that this remains a really challenging environment for the aviation sector at the moment.
"Our first thoughts are with all the staff who would have lost their jobs and I'm aware many people will be very concerned if they've booked flights with the airline - and there is help available and advice on the Civil Aviation Authority website.
"I think although it's a knockback for the airport, we still have routes to London and Manchester covered by other operators - and it's been a really positive time for the airport. I hope we see other operators coming and operating from Newquay - and I am confident we'll continue to see positive growth at the airport in the months and years ahead."
Cllr Olly Monk, Cornwall Councillor for Newquay Trenance, said: "Flybe was a well-recognised brand across the South West, and it was very sad when they went under a couple of years ago. The re-introduction was a welcome boost last year. It's disappointing, and shows the competitive nature of the airline industry, however our airport has the resilience to not be too worried that this small part of the air infrastructure has now disappeared.
"If it had been a few years ago, then it would have been a lot more serious. At the moment, we've got a lot of existing capacity. It's not good news - but this is more of a hiccup than a major problem for our local air links.
"As sad as it is that Flybe have ceased to trade, though, they only operated two routes out of Newquay, and there is more than enough capacity with the existing carriers to replace these. If you take an operator out of the existing market, you can pretty much be sure the ones that remain will mop-up the existing capacity within their network.
"I see nothing but a positive future for the airport - and I see nothing but more and more people wanting to use our airport as it continues to grow."
Cllr Louis Gardner, Cornwall Councillor for Newquay Central & Pentire, said: "We didn't have any warning signs. We only took the airline back into the airport last April after their most recent collapse.
"It's been back here for only 8 months - so we're taken aback by the announcement that they're folding again.
"We were pleased when Flybe came back on board with the two routes, especially the Heathrow one, which we saw important to the Cornish economy.
"This latest collapse is totally unlike the first collapse of Flybe, with its huge presence in the South West and Exeter. That isn't the case any more with the two routes, so impact-wise, we'll see very little, really.
"But we've already got two routes to London from Cornwall, so these routes are in tact, and we're sure they can absorb the capacity.
"We are very sure we'll have new airlines in shortly to fill in the slots left by Flybe. It's a robust airport, so all we'll see now is an expansion in the other airlines."
The repatriation effort
The repatriation effort continues this week - with airlines including British Airways, Ryanair, and easyJet all offering repatriation fares to make sure affected passengers make their way home.
The latest repatriation advice from the Civil Aviation Authority says:
British Airways
Customers are being offered one-way fares of £50/€60 plus taxes, fees and charges on selected routes to get them where they need to be.
Customers due to fly with Flybe can travel on journeys between London and Belfast, Newcastle or Amsterdam.
Customers can make their booking by calling the British Airways contact centre on 0344 493 0787.
Ryanair
Ryanair, launched fares starting from £29.99 to accommodate customers affected by Flybe’s immediate cancellation of its entire UK schedule.
Families who booked to fly on now-cancelled Flybe flights can travel on one of Ryanair’s flights, including routes from Belfast to East Midlands, Manchester and London Stansted from only £29.99.
These are on sale on the Ryanair.com website for travel from Sunday 26 March 2023.
easyJet
easyJet is offering fares of £49 for domestic routes and £79 for international routes including a 15kg hold bag will be available on presentation their original Flybe booking reference.
This will be in place for Flybe customers until 10 February.
Any affected passengers should contact easyJet’s customer service centre.
Before it went bust it flew the most UK domestic routes between airports outside London.
Its business and assets were purchased in April 2021 by Thyme Opco, which is linked to US hedge fund Cyrus Capital.
Thyme Opco was renamed Flybe Limited.
It had been based at Birmingham Airport.
Read more: Flights to and from Newquay with Flybe "cancelled with immediate effect"