Sunday Mail (UK)

Bosses put blame on Brexit as crisis airline goes bust

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Airline Flybmi collapsed last night, cancelling all of its flights.

Bosses blamed uncertaint­y around B rex it as they announced the firm was going into administra­tion.

The airline, which had operated 17 regional jet aircraft on routes to 25 European cities, said all flights were grounded, affecting hundreds of weekend travellers.

Three routes from Aberdeen Airport included Bristol, Oslo and the Danish town of Esbjerg.

Difficulti­es have included increases in fuel and carbon costs, as well as challenges, “particular­ly those created by Brexit”, a statement on the airline’s website said.

A total of 376 employees based in the UK, Germany, Sweden and Belgium are employed by BMI Regional, which operated services under the brand name Flybmi.

The statement said: “It is with a heavy heart that we have made this unavoidabl­e announceme­nt.

“The airline has faced several difficulti­es, including recent spikes in fuel and carbon costs, the latter arising from the EU’s recent decision to exclude UK airlines from full participat­ion in the Emissions Trading Scheme.

“These issues have undermined efforts to move the airline into profit.

“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 f lying contracts in Europe and lack of confidence around BMI’s ability to continue f lying between destinatio­ns in Europe.

“Additional­ly, our situation mirrors wider difficulti­es in the

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 ??  ?? DEVASTATIN­G Brian Strutton of Balpa, above. Flybmi had routes out of Aberdeen airport, main
DEVASTATIN­G Brian Strutton of Balpa, above. Flybmi had routes out of Aberdeen airport, main

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