Dr Neil Robinson, Travel and tourism expert from the University of Salford Business School, explains some of the reasons for budget airline Flybe ceasing to trade overnight.
Dr Robinson said: “Not great days for the budget airline sector, as Flybe goes bust.
“So where did it all go wrong for the company? The impact of corona virus is the biggest immediate cause, with demand falling off a cliff, but the business has been in trouble for a while, with a recent bailout keeping it alive.
“Customers wanting very low budget priced tickets and a highly competitive market has resulted in the company going out of business.
“In addition one could argue that FlyBe had an identity issue that was hard to pin down, were they budget, small aviation service provider, regional airline host or did they have aspirations to be a key European airline.
“Those already in the budget sector, such as Easyjet and Ryanair, have the market cornered and others attempting to find a foot hold in the market will find it hard. Interestingly a new order for 35 jets in 2010 has probably not helped things and might have resulted in extra capacity with few takers or new routes.
“It is too early to say if other airlines might be vulnerable in the same way but watch this space.”
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