British carrier goes bust, blames Brexit

FLYBMI, a regional airline
operating in the UK and
Europe, cancelled all its
flights in mid-February, after
the airline’s owner, British
Midland Regional, went into
administration. The carrier
operated 17 regional jet
aircraft to 25 European cities.
“Current trading and future
prospects have also been
seriously affected by the
uncertainty created by the
Brexit process, which has
led to our inability to secure
valuable flying contracts in
Europe and lack of confidence
around bmi’s ability to continue
flying between destinations in
Europe,” the airline said.
The airline blamed other
factors, including a spike in
fuel and carbon prices.
According to the Financial
Times, airlines, including
Ryanair, have been citing
Brexit as a factor in recent
bad news. The airline’s chief
marketing officer has said that
“a Brexit backdrop” would be
responsible for slower growth
in the UK than the EU in the
next financial year.
Shortly after flybmi
announced that it would go
into administration, Scottish
carrier Loganair took over
five of the airline’s routes:
Aberdeen to Bristol, Oslo and
Esbjerg and Newcastle to
Stavanger and Brussels.
Jonathan Hinkles, Loganair
md, said: “We are evaluating
flybmi’s wider network and
assessing routes that align
with Loganair’s distinct
geographical area and overall
strategic plans.”