British regional airline Flybe crashed into bankruptcy Thursday after the deadly coronavirus proved to be the final nail in its coffin.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/trade-impact-of-coronavirus-epidemic-for-india-estimated-at-348-million-dollars-un-report-284461" hreflang="en">Trade impact of Coronavirus epidemic for India estimated at 348 million dollars: UN report</a>

The biggest operator of UK domestic flights said it has sunk into administration -- a last-ditch process aimed at salvaging at least some of the company.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/global-growth-to-fall-below-last-years-level-due-to-coronavirus-imf-284325" hreflang="en">Global growth to fall below last year's level due to coronavirus: IMF</a>

And with the carrier long blighted by fierce competition, volatile fuels costs and a weak pound linked to the uncertainty over Brexit, Flybe's announcement to ground all flights now place some 2,000 jobs at risk.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/coronavirus-drags-hong-kong-business-outlook-to-record-low-data-284240" hreflang="en">Coronavirus drags Hong Kong business outlook to record low: data</a>

An airline source told Britain's domestic Press Association news agency that sliding demand owing to COVID-19 had "made a difficult situation worse".

A slew of airlines -- including British Airways and Ryanair -- announced Monday the cancellation of several hundred flight, in particular to Italy, as the novel coronavirus spreads throughout the globe.

Flybe narrowly avoided going bust in January when the UK government agreed to review air passenger duty paid by its customers -- and shareholders pledged extra investment.

But in the early hours of Thursday, the carrier appointed administrators after the government reportedly refused a rescue loan for £100 million ($128 million, 115 million euros)

"Flybe entered administration on 5 March," the carrier said in a brief statement.

"All flights have been grounded and the UK business has ceased trading with immediate effect."

The Exeter-based carrier failed to turn around its fortunes since it was purchased just over a year ago by a consortium led by Virgin.

"Flybe's financial difficulties were long-standing and well documented and pre-date the outbreak of COVID-19," said a government statement.

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Flybe, which flies about eight million passengers annually, is owned also by investment firm Cyrus and infrastructure specialist Stobart.

Flybe operates from 43 airports across Europe and 28 in Britain, and its collapse left potentially thousands of people stranded far from home.

The British government said it had asked bus and train operators to accept Flybe tickets and other airlines to offer reductions to help passengers reach their destination.

Flybe's owner, the Connect Airways consortium, said "every possible attempt" had been made to avoid the collapse, but that the airline had been "unable to overcome significant funding challenges".

At the start of the year, Flybe agreed a payment plan with authorities to defer tax payments of less than £10 million.

That announcement came just days after the airline was saved from collapse in a last-minute financial rescue, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government agreeing to review air passenger duty (APD) paid by Flybe's customers.

Following the tax deferral, rival companies, including British Airways-parent IAG, complained to the European Union that it was receiving unfair state aid.

The government said its assistance did not breach EU rules and that help was based on the importance of the company's domestic services.

- Timely warning - 
Flybe's demise follows a timely coronavirus warning from Dublin-based low-cost airline Ryanair at the start of this week.

The Irish carrier forecast that the fatal outbreak -- which has killed 3,200 and infected 95,000 worldwide so far -- would spark more European airline failures.

"We expect that this COVID-19 virus will result in further EU airline failures over the coming weeks," Ryanair said Monday.

Recent high-profile casualties in Europe's battered aviation sector include French carriers Aigle Azur and XL Airways, as well as Slovenia's Adria Airways and Britain's Thomas Cook, which was both a tour operator and an airline.

In contrast to Flybe, Thomas Cook collapsed without any government assistance in September, causing the loss of 22,000 jobs worldwide and stranding 600,000 holidaymakers abroad.

British regional airline Flybe crashed into bankruptcy Thursday after the deadly coronavirus proved to be the final nail in its coffin. Also read: Trade impact of Coronavirus epidemic for India estimated at 348 million dollars: UN report The biggest operator of UK domestic flights said it has sunk into administration -- a last-ditch process aimed at salvaging at least some of the company.

British regional airline Flybe crashed into bankruptcy Thursday after the deadly coronavirus proved to be the final nail in its coffin. Also read: Trade impact of Coronavirus epidemic for India estimated at 348 million dollars: UN report The biggest operator of UK domestic flights said it has sunk into administration -- a last-ditch process aimed at salvaging at least some of the company. Also read: Global growth to fall below last year's level due to coronavirus: IMF And with the carrier long blighted by fierce competition, volatile fuels costs and a weak pound linked to the uncertainty over Brexit, Flybe's announcement to ground all flights now place some 2,000 jobs at risk. Also read: Coronavirus drags Hong Kong business outlook to record low: data An airline source told Britain's domestic Press Association news agency that sliding demand owing to COVID-19 had "made a difficult situation worse". A slew of airlines -- including British Airways and Ryanair -- announced Monday the cancellation of several hundred flight, in particular to Italy, as the novel coronavirus spreads throughout the globe. Flybe narrowly avoided going bust in January when the UK government agreed to review air passenger duty paid by its customers -- and shareholders pledged extra investment. But in the early hours of Thursday, the carrier appointed administrators after the government reportedly refused a rescue loan for £100 million ($128 million, 115 million euros) "Flybe entered administration on 5 March," the carrier said in a brief statement. "All flights have been grounded and the UK business has ceased trading with immediate effect." The Exeter-based carrier failed to turn around its fortunes since it was purchased just over a year ago by a consortium led by Virgin. "Flybe's financial difficulties were long-standing and well documented and pre-date the outbreak of COVID-19," said a government statement. Flybe, which flies about eight million passengers annually, is owned also by investment firm Cyrus and infrastructure specialist Stobart. Flybe operates from 43 airports across Europe and 28 in Britain, and its collapse left potentially thousands of people stranded far from home. The British government said it had asked bus and train operators to accept Flybe tickets and other airlines to offer reductions to help passengers reach their destination. Flybe's owner, the Connect Airways consortium, said "every possible attempt" had been made to avoid the collapse, but that the airline had been "unable to overcome significant funding challenges". At the start of the year, Flybe agreed a payment plan with authorities to defer tax payments of less than £10 million. That announcement came just days after the airline was saved from collapse in a last-minute financial rescue, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government agreeing to review air passenger duty (APD) paid by Flybe's customers. Following the tax deferral, rival companies, including British Airways-parent IAG, complained to the European Union that it was receiving unfair state aid. The government said its assistance did not breach EU rules and that help was based on the importance of the company's domestic services. - Timely warning - Flybe's demise follows a timely coronavirus warning from Dublin-based low-cost airline Ryanair at the start of this week. The Irish carrier forecast that the fatal outbreak -- which has killed 3,200 and infected 95,000 worldwide so far -- would spark more European airline failures. "We expect that this COVID-19 virus will result in further EU airline failures over the coming weeks," Ryanair said Monday. Recent high-profile casualties in Europe's battered aviation sector include French carriers Aigle Azur and XL Airways, as well as Slovenia's Adria Airways and Britain's Thomas Cook, which was both a tour operator and an airline. In contrast to Flybe, Thomas Cook collapsed without any government assistance in September, causing the loss of 22,000 jobs worldwide and stranding 600,000 holidaymakers abroad.

UK airline Flybe dealt final blow by coronavirus

The landing of Air Berlin&rsquo;s Flight AB7001 on Monday gave onlookers a scare after it made an extremely low fly-by while landing in German city of Dusseldorf with 200 people onboard.

This Miami to Dusseldorf flight was the airline&rsquo;s final one after the company officially declared long-haul flights to be over.

The plane&nbsp;made a sharp left turn towards the terminal building, with the people on the outside terrace screaming out in fear.

An airport employee who watched the dramatic scenes unfold thought at first the aeroplane would crash right into the terminal.

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&nbsp;

The pilots of the Airbus A330 have been suspended. An investigation by the airline revealed the&nbsp;Dusseldorf traffic control allowed the pilots to do a flyover as it was the last flight operated from the US to Germany.

&ldquo;We wanted to make a mark, a dignified and emotional goodbye,&rdquo; the Air Berlin pilot was quoted as saying by German broadcaster ZDF.&nbsp;

Markus Wahl, spokesman of a German pilot&#39;s organisation, said that at no time were people in danger in the well planned move and he is sure that the pilot did not do anything illegal.

On August 15, Air Berlin stated it was filing for insolvency, although most flights continued until further notice after the German government provided the airline with a loan.

On October 9, the airline however announced that it would cease all of its own operations by October 28.

&nbsp;

Air Berlin pilots suspended after farewell fly-by

The landing of Air Berlin’s Flight AB7001 on Monday gave onlookers a scare after it made an extremely low fly-by while landing in German city of Dusseldorf with 200 people onboard. This Miami to Dusseldorf flight was the airline’s final one after the company officially declared long-haul flights to be over. The plane made a sharp left turn towards the terminal building, with the people on the outside terrace screaming out in fear. An airport employee who watched the dramatic scenes unfold thought at first the aeroplane would crash right into the terminal. × The pilots of the Airbus A330 have been suspended. An investigation by the airline revealed the Dusseldorf traffic control allowed the pilots to do a flyover as it was the last flight operated from the US to Germany. “We wanted to make a mark, a dignified and emotional goodbye,” the Air Berlin pilot was quoted as saying by German broadcaster ZDF. Markus Wahl, spokesman of a German pilot's organisation, said that at no time were people in danger in the well planned move and he is sure that the pilot did not do anything illegal. On August 15, Air Berlin stated it was filing for insolvency, although most flights continued until further notice after the German government provided the airline with a loan. On October 9, the airline however announced that it would cease all of its own operations by October 28.

Air Berlin pilots perform low fly-by, suspended

&nbsp;

Flight AB7001 from Miami to Dusseldorf landed on Monday morning after the company officially declared long-haul flights to be over.

The bankrupt airline yesterday&nbsp;<a data-action="11364101" data-content-type="news" data-track="false" data-type="inline" data-word-count="8" href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/pilots-who-performed-extremely-low-11364101">suspended the pilots who carried out the manoeuvre</a>&nbsp;during its final long-distance flight as they came into land at Dusseldorf Airport with 200 passengers onboard.

<iframe frameborder="0" height="1px" id="google_ads_iframe_/5293/mirror.co.uk/news/world-news_1" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="google_ads_iframe_/5293/mirror.co.uk/news/world-news_1" scrolling="no" srcdoc="" title="3rd party ad content" width="1px"></iframe>The plane&nbsp;makes a sharp left turn towards the terminal building, with the people on the outside terrace screaming out in fear.

An airport employee who watched the dramatic scenes unfold thought at first the aeroplane would crash right into the terminal.

The pilot of the Airbus A330 - who is now being investigated - was allowed by the Dusseldorf traffic control to do a flyover as it was the last flight operated from the US to Germany.

&ldquo;We wanted to make a mark, a dignified and emotional goodbye,&rdquo; the Air Berlin pilot was quoted as saying by German broadcaster ZDF.&nbsp;

Markus Wahl, spokesman of a German pilot&#39;s organisation, said that at no time were people in danger in the well planned move and he is sure that the pilot did not do anything illegal.

The airline said it was aware of the agreement to perform the low fly-by and &quot;fully supports the LBA in its work&quot;.

On August 15, Air Berlin stated it was filing for insolvency, although most flights continued until further notice after the German government provided the airline with a loan.

On 9th October, the airline however announced that it would cease all of its own operations by 28th October.

&nbsp;

Pilot investigated by aviation authorities after reckless fly-by

Flight AB7001 from Miami to Dusseldorf landed on Monday morning after the company officially declared long-haul flights to be over. The bankrupt airline yesterday suspended the pilots who carried out the manoeuvre during its final long-distance flight as they came into land at Dusseldorf Airport with 200 passengers onboard. The plane makes a sharp left turn towards the terminal building, with the people on the outside terrace screaming out in fear. An airport employee who watched the dramatic scenes unfold thought at first the aeroplane would crash right into the terminal. The pilot of the Airbus A330 - who is now being investigated - was allowed by the Dusseldorf traffic control to do a flyover as it was the last flight operated from the US to Germany. “We wanted to make a mark, a dignified and emotional goodbye,” the Air Berlin pilot was quoted as saying by German broadcaster ZDF. Markus Wahl, spokesman of a German pilot's organisation, said that at no time were people in danger in the well planned move and he is sure that the pilot did not do anything illegal. The airline said it was aware of the agreement to perform the low fly-by and "fully supports the LBA in its work". On August 15, Air Berlin stated it was filing for insolvency, although most flights continued until further notice after the German government provided the airline with a loan. On 9th October, the airline however announced that it would cease all of its own operations by 28th October.

Air Berlin pilots perform low fly-by, leaving passengers in panic

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