Credit: Lux-airport
UK regional airline FlyBe, which operated flights between Luxembourg and Manchester, announced on Thursday that it had gone into administration.
As a result of the airline's collapse, all FlyBe flights have been cancelled with immediate effect.
The British airline had avoided collapse in January after reaching an agreement with the UK government regarding state aid. However, the coronavirus outbreak (and resulting drop in flight bookings) seems to have been the final nail in the coffin for FlyBe, which went into administration in the early hours of Thursday morning. Over 2,000 jobs are at risk following the carrier's collapse.
This development will also affect anyone who had booked FlyBe flights between Luxembourg and Manchester. Indeed, Luxembourg Airport announced that these flights had been cancelled and asked those who were due to travel with FlyBe today not to travel to the airport. Passengers affected by these cancellations were informed that they would need to make alternative travel arrangements.
Regarding refunds, Chronicle.lu reached out to various national and international agencies. A representative of the European Consumer Centre Luxembourg responded that refunds were unlikely following the airline's bankruptcy. However, anyone who bought FlyBe flight tickets (Luxembourg - Manchester) with a credit card may contact their bank concerning a potential refund. Similarly, the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) stressed that UK customers can claim a refund from their credit card through the Consumer Credit Act, although this law applies only to people with a UK-registered credit card.
On the same day as the news of FlyBe's collapse, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated that the global airline sector could lose up to USD $113 billion in revenue in 2020 over coronavirus fears.
