Chidken Sangwich...No..I say again this all revolves around the private equity company.. they normally know they hold all the cards having acquired for nominal sums failing or failed companies & holding all the cards are very used to getting all their own way when push comes to shove...Unfortunately for them the Airline Industry is heavily regulated by THE CAA & cannot be bluffed..I read the circumstances surrounding the last affair as THE CAA putting all their tanks or (full house to continue the analogy) on the private equity`s lawn partly perhaps out of exasperation too & guess what? private equity blinked & stumped up & met their obligations at the v last minute.
So no the CAA did not ruin the reputation of the airline,the owners did & indeed have to comply with the same rules every other pax airline in the UK does..
When they paid up so the need to fly many many dozen repatriation flights was avoided so is that not a type of saving anyway.