Irish commuters stranded as Flybmi ceases operations

Airport is ‘reviewing options’

IRISH commuters have been left stranded by the collapse of the Flybmi airline at the weekend.

Many in the north-west said that they used the British carrier’s Derry service to get to work in England.

Civil engineer Danny McLaughlin, from Buncrana in Co. Donegal, had 14 flights booked over the next seven weeks going to and from London Stansted.

Mr McLaughlin said he was shocked when he received a text message telling him of the airline’s demise.

‘I’m a bit stunned, to be honest with you,’ he said. ‘I know airlines and things have been saying this for quite a while, but it just came as a bolt out of the blue.

‘I feel sorry for the staff. I haven’t reached the angry stage yet, but I probably will get annoyed as the weekend goes on – and on Monday [today] when I can’t get to work.’

The airline said uncertainty around Brexit was partly to blame for it cancelling flights and filing for administration.

Mr McLaughlin said it is the first personal inconvenience he has felt from Brexit and added that he has concerns about what lies ahead.

He said: ‘I’m three miles from the border. I’ve been across the border six times today already, and that’s a normal Saturday – going to the shop, taking my son to get a haircut and to rugby.

‘For me personally it’s the first thing really that’s affected me. And then, in 41 days’ time, we just don’t know what’s going to happen three miles up the road.

‘If there’s going to be no deal, and it looks that way at the minute, this area here, we’re going to be hit the worst.

‘I was sitting in traffic today just at the bottom of my road and it was 50% Northern Ireland registrations, so it’s going to affect all those people as well.’

The City of Derry Airport said that following Flybmi’s news, it is ‘reviewing options’ to resume a route to Stansted.

Last week, the UK’s transport secretary Chris Grayling confirmed the British government would continue to provide funding for a flight between City of Derry Airport and London for a further two years. Flybmi’s parent company, British Midland Regional, said it has cancelled all flights and will not be able to rearrange any bookings.

Flybmi, based in England’s East Midlands, operated routes to 25 European cities and employed nearly 400 people.

‘It is with a heavy heart that we have made this unavoidable announcement,’ a company said in an online statement.

‘The airline has faced several difficulties, including recent spikes in fuel and carbon costs.

‘Current trading and future prospects have also been seriously affected by the uncertainty created by the Brexit process.’

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