Flybe pilot says company was recruiting day before collapse

A former Flybe pilot who has lost his job for the second time in three years has said the company was recruiting the day before it went into administration.

Keith Sivell had been planning to move his family from Glasgow to Belfast.

But after waking up for his early shift last Saturday he found out he was out of a job through messages on his phone.

Flybe's administrator confirmed that 277 staff were being made redundant, including many at Belfast City Airport.

The airline had only restarted its operations in April last year after a previous collapse in 2020.

Mr Sivell told BBC News NI: "As you've just been woken up at four o'clock in the morning there's a little bit of confusion, trying to figure out what's happening - is it true?

"Do I go to the airport? Are flights still going?

"[It's] strange to say we weren't surprised - we weren't surprised but we were shocked.

"We'd been told by the company originally that there'd been two to three years [of] finances even if we were flying around with low numbers of passengers so that's really where the shock came from."

Flybe operated 10 routes from Belfast City Airport, including services to Heathrow, Manchester, Glasgow and Amsterdam.

When Flybe collapsed in 2020 it was responsible for about 80% of Belfast City Airport's flights.

More recently Flybe made up about 14% of flights at the airport.

Flybe's plans were significantly disrupted by delays in new aircraft arriving and reduced demand for travel.

It is understood that led to an estimated £30m in lost revenue and additional costs, and that the airline was losing up to £5m a month before its collapse.

Mr Sivell said: "We went into administration early on the 28th of January and there was recruitment going on on the 27th - just the day before - for pilots."

Many of the pilots who were working for Flybe when it previously collapsed returned to work for the airline last year because of the nature of their licences and training.

Keith had worked at the previous incarnation of Flybe for seven years and loved it, saying he was delighted to go back.

"When you work as a small team, everyone at the briefing table together, it was a really friendly, family environment so that's why I came back," he said.

"All the crews in Belfast got on really well so it does feel like you're saying goodbye to family members when it collapses."

He said that at the time of the previous collapse the staff knew company finances were tight but this time it feels "more like the rug has been pulled from underneath us" and many are "still stunned" that it has happened.

Jobs prospects were more bleak in 2020 because of the impact of the Covid pandemic and travel restrictions on the aviation industry.

Now airlines have already been in touch with pilots to offer opportunities.

Keith is not looking for a new job immediately as his wife has just returned to work as an anaesthetist after having a baby so his focus will be on childcare.

"Everyone in this situation, you're thinking how can you get a job but also how can we cut our overheads immediately," he said.

"It will be an absolute silver lining to be able to spend time with my family."