Davidjohnson6 - sorry I understand your point now! That if Flybe 2.0 was able to gain a significant asset of another legal entity for nothing then surely people with a claim could be used to pursue debts against it?

Cavokblues - yes, you got it. Have a Google about "phoenixing" of an old bankrupt company.

I'm wondering if v1 had the right to sell the LHR slots, or what legal hoops v2 had to jump through to petition the CAA to deem v2 eligible for the LHR slots without good consideration. A large corporate law firm and a senior barrister somewhere will be licking their lips at a court case as a way to make a name for themselves, along with possible fees. The insolvency practitioner of v1 may start !!!!!ting their pants if this goes to court :-)

AF-KL or LH will presumably want to find out who the major creditors of v1 are, their capacity to litigate, and whether they would benefit financially from litigation.

Flybe v1 had debts of around £650 million in 2020

It's a very interesting question!

I guess if the slots were essentially gifted to the new company by the EU, or whoever, then it would prove difficult for old claimants of Flybe 1.0 to pursue anything from Flybe 2.0

Dare anybody say easyJet to take on those routes.... LHR to EDI-ABZ-NCE etc

FLYBE ADMINISTRATORS SEEK TEMPORARY CAA OPERATING LICENCE

Another rebirth of Flybe may be a possibility following an application by administrators for a temporary operating licence after the regional carrier collapsed last month for the second time in three years.

Will Flybe rise again for a third time?

In a highly unusual move, the failed carrier’s administrators Interpath Advisory is seeking the permit from the CAA, which will allow it to engage with the authority and others to restructure the business.

A source close to the administration said gaining the licence would allow administrators to explore a sale. “We have a short window in which we can try to get some sort of sale agreed for the business and assets,” they added.

Among those assets are understood to be seven pairs of slots at Heathrow airport and five at Amsterdam’s Schiphol, with the Heathrow slots potentially worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

They were awarded to Flybe by regulators as “remedy slots” to ensure competition in 2012 after British Airways purchased rival regional carrier British Midland. “We very much do see the slots as part of the asset base of the company,” said the source.

Interpath is still in discussions with potential buyers with the process understood to be fast-moving. It is thought to be the first time the CAA has been asked to grant a temporary licence, which gives Flybe 12 months to restructure.

The licence application was made on 28 January, the day the carrier collapsed. A CAA spokesperson said: "Flybe’s administrators have applied for a temporary operator’s licence. If approved, it would allow the administrators to start the process of restructuring the business.

“The UK Civil Aviation Authority has not yet made a decision on whether to grant a temporary licence. Flybe’s licence currently remains suspended in accordance with the undertakings given by the administrators."

Administrators will have to meet a number of financial criteria in order to be accepted but will not need to disclose their intentions for the Flybe brand. The granting of the licence does not mean Flybe can begin flying again.

Flybe lasted less than a year following its rebirth in April 2022 after the original brand and business ceased flying in March 2020 and was sold to Thyme Opco, a firm controlled by Cyrus Capital.

Its collapse left 75,000 forward bookings and 321 staff facing unemployment. The timing of the Flybe relaunch, as the UK emerged from the pandemic, did not help its prospects, nor did the fact that rivals had already filled many of the routes vacated by Flybe’s original collapse.

It's nice to give credit for quotes

"Will Flybe rise again for a third time?"

Jeez - worse than Hammer House of Horror - more reruns than "Rocky"

Imagine the customer confidence if it did. There's not a chance it will, not with the same name anyway.

Flybe buyout
 

It would be awesome to see someone buy them out and do what should have been done from get go.

Loved handling them at NCL, Great crews and much better aircraft to handle than a goddamn ATR.

Would love to see the AF/KLM group buy them.

Cityhopper Lite or Hoppicus? Anything better to drop the now black Flybe branding.

Loganair have requested the Flybe LHR slots.

https://www.routesonline.com/news/29...eathrow-slots/

(I couldn't find the Loganair thread!?)

Just been reading the EU decision to grandfather the slots in 2020 - https://ec.europa.eu/competition/mer...447_7043_3.pdf

From reading that I don't think there is any danger of Flybe being resurrected by the request for a temporary OL.

The CAA did something similar for Flybe 1.0 during their administration, albeit because of Covid.

Essentially, the EU concludes Flybe was awarded the slots but if they cease being an airline the slots are to return to the slot pool or IAG.

I guess you're not legally an airline without an OL so this application for an OL is just the administrators trying to release some value from the slots?

That's hilarious. Remedy slots which where created as a remedy to BA's monopoly and yet Loganair want to use them on the Derry to London service which is a BA codeshare.

Well no, the point was to create competition in market whereas this would be a net new market. Hardly adding to a BA monopoly on point to point.

Agree that the slots should be allocated to incumbent UK operators but surely others should also be considered e.g. Aurigny, Eastern, etc.

Diaspora continues today with 2x a/c due to ferry ex BHX.

Do ACL or the CAA (or even the DfT) have any power or authority to direct that Flybe's slots at LHR be given to airlines who will fly UK domestic, given the provisions of company law around bankruptcy and existing competition law ? Would any of these bodies realistically take such an action ?

It may sound fair to UK residents that LHR and UK Govt transport policy should serve the whole of the UK and not just London... but this might be wishful thinking given existing legal and political constraints

What constraints? You'd have thought one requirement for holding slots is actually to be a functioning airline, which is presumably why the administrators have gone back to get the licence?

I think we really need a Pprune masterclass on slots - any takers?!?

Passed through BHX on Saturday 28th, saw 3x flybe dash 8s with BHX branded cars parked behind them

Passed through BHX yesterday to go to Dublin on Ryanair, saw those same 3x dash 8s had been moved and parked next to the plain white A330 that hasnt moved in all those times ive flown in and out of BHX recently...

Landed earlier, again saw the 3x flybe dash 8s parked by the A330.... just looked on FR24 and can see that 1x dash 8 - (G-FLBB) has just departed from BHX bound for Exeter

How many planes did flybe v2 have flying......... and where are they all?

https://jethroseu.co.uk/fleets/fleet...flybe_ltd.html

x 3 BE just departed BHX as we speak

G-EXTA just landed in EXT

I flew flybe v1 a LOT...mainly BHX to BHD, GLA, EDI, ABZ - was sad to see them cease operations in March 2020, having only flown them on return to EDI a month prior

My money is going to easyJet now for BHX-BFS-GLA-EDI flights

flybe v2, never stood a chance, sorry to say... hate the idea of good people being out of work... good luck to all :)