More summer travel chaos as Flybe axes Belfast flights

THOUSANDS of holidaymakers and enterprise travellers within the north are dealing with additional journey chaos this summer season after the reinvented Flybe revealed it’s cancelling or rescheduling dozens of flights from Belfast Metropolis.

Simply 12 weeks after the regional airline resumed operations, its chief government Dave Pflieger emailed clients yesterday warning them of the adjustments and providing his “unreserved apologies”, blaming it on issues with the service’s leasing firm.

The Belfast Metropolis companies to Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and Southampton will all function at a closely lowered frequency.

And the routes to Aberdeen, Inverness and Newcastle are being scrapped altogether from July 28 to October 29.

Flybe – which took to the skies once more in April, some 25 months after it collapsed into administration in March 2020 – has blamed the adjustments on “late plane deliveries”.

Mr Pflieger mentioned: “The 2 plane leasing firms who have been contracted to supply our further airplanes have now instructed us that they are going to be unable to fulfil their commitments till after the summer season.

“We have been capable of finding and lease plane from two separate airways in Greece and Spain, however these planes will not be sufficient, and the shortage of further plane wanted for brand spanking new flying means we have to alter our future flight schedule.”

He added: “This isn’t a choice we have have taken frivolously, and as you’d anticipate, we’re in each day conversations with all concerned to see if something may change that may enable us to renew our unique plans at an earlier date.

“However it’s important that we take motion now to make sure folks have sufficient time to vary their journey plans, be re-accommodated on a distinct flight or, if that’s not desired, get hold of a full refund.”

It is three months because the first Flybe flight took to the skies from Belfast, and it presently flies clients to a lot of regional locations.

“We have been planning to extend flights to present cities and new locations, however cannot now fulfil these commitments till after the summer season,” Mr Pflieger mentioned.

The service says it has added new performance to its flybe.com web site to allow clients to vary their reservation or request a refund.

Flybe’s new proprietor Thyme Opco presently operates eight routes from Belfast Metropolis Airport and mentioned final month that it intends including 4 extra locations earlier than the top of August, which now appears unlikely.