All Flybe Birmingham airport employees made redundant as airline goes into administration

A Flybe plane sits on the tarmac after the regional carrier went into administration. Credit: PA Images

Flybe administrators have confirmed all staff based at Birmingham Airport have been made redundant.

Interpath Advisory told ITV News Central 99 workers at the airport, where the airline was based, and 34 staff at their Birmingham headquarters are to go.

While just 35 employees are being kept on at the airline's HQ.

It means of the 277 staff that have been made redundant at the airline, 133 of them are based at the regional carrier's base in Birmingham.

Flybe planes have been grounded since the airline went into administration. Credit: PA Images

The update comes a day after the airline ceased trading for the second time in three years - with all scheduled flights being cancelled.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority made an announcement in the early hours of Saturday morning (28th January) that the company had gone into administration and urged those with booked Flybe flights not to travel to airports.

A passenger whose Flybe flight was cancelled with just three hours' notice after the airline went into administration has branded the company "outrageous".

Freddy McBride, 61, was due to fly with his wife from Heathrow to Belfast on Saturday morning but had to rebook with Aer Lingus.

He said: "I got up at the crack of dawn, packed and we couldn’t check in online last night so I thought we’d do it this morning.

"I left my wife to do it while I got the train. I got up at six and left the house before seven.

"I got to Hatton Central and I checked my email and it says they’ve gone into administration.

"It’s just outrageous.

"I had to phone my wife to tell her and she booked from home while I was running about to terminal three and five to British Airways because I thought we could fly with them.

"So I’ve just spent the last hour running around the terminals trying to sort things out.

"When I get on the plane I’ll be relieved. They allowed us to book about a day or two ago. It’s not good, it’s not good."

Timeline of events as Flybe collapses for the second time:

  • November 2018: Concerns over Exeter-based airline Flybe grow as it puts itself up for sale - citing falling demand, rising fuel costs and the weak pound for £29 million losses.

  • January 2019: A planned takeover by a consortium including Virgin Atlantic is delayed after Flybe fails to meet make-or-break financial terms. The company cannot deliver a promised £20 million bridging loan as banks won't lend them the money amid fears over its future.

  • April 2019: As Flybe continues to try and find the money, it cancels dozens of flights and stops operating from four airports.

  • October 2019: The rescue deal goes through and Flybe is rebranded to Virgin Connect.

  • Jan 2020: The airline's future is in doubt once again after a government report reveals it is at risk of collapse following further losses. Crisis talks are held and shareholders agree to invest extra money amid government assurances to defer some tax payments, but there are complaints from other airlines that this gives Flybe an unfair advantage.

  • March 2020: Crisis talks are held again but fail. The embattled airline collapses with all flights grounded and administrators brought in. The coronavirus pandemic is seen as the final straw as passenger numbers plummet.

  • April 2021: Flybe is bought by Thyme Opco, a company linked to its former shareholder Cyrus Capital. Hopes for the airline's return rise.

  • April 2022: Flybe returns to the skies just over two years after it ceased trading, with a new base in Birmingham.

  • January 2023: Flybe stops trading for a second time and administrators are called in. Passengers are told not to go to airports as all the company's scheduled flights are cancelled.