Travel News

BY  Benjamin Cooper, PA

Regional carrier Flybe has ceased trading and all scheduled flights have been cancelled.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) made the announcement the company had gone into administration for the second time in three years, asking passengers booked on Flybe flights not to travel to airports.

It urged ticket-holders to instead check its website for the latest information.

CAA consumer director Paul Smith said: “It is always sad to see an airline enter administration and we know that Flybe’s decision to stop trading will be distressing for all of its employees and customers.

“We urge passengers planning to fly with this airline not to go to the airport as all Flybe flights are cancelled.”

The airline tweeted: “We are sad to announce that Flybe has been placed into administration.

“David Pike and Mike Pink of Interpath have been appointed administrators. Flybe has now ceased trading. All Flybe flights from and to the UK are cancelled and will not be rescheduled.”

Flybe was pushed into administration in March 2020 with the loss of 2,400 jobs as the Covid-19 pandemic destroyed large parts of the travel market, but returned to the skies in April.

Its plan was to operate up to 530 flights per week across 23 routes, serving airports such as Belfast City, Birmingham, East Midlands, Glasgow, Heathrow and Leeds Bradford, and it flew the most UK domestic routes between airports outside London.

Its business and assets were purchased in April 2021 by Thyme Opco, which is linked to US hedge fund Cyrus Capital, and Thyme Opco was renamed Flybe Limited and based at Birmingham Airport.

The Government said its priority was to support anyone trying to get home and those who have lost their jobs.

“This remains a challenging environment for airlines, both old and new, as they recover from the pandemic, and we understand the impact this will have on Flybe’s passengers and staff.

“Our immediate priority is to support people travelling home and employees who have lost their jobs,” a spokesperson said.

“The Civil Aviation Authority is providing advice to passengers to help them make their journeys as smoothly and affordably as possible.

“The majority of destinations served by Flybe are within the UK with alternative transport arrangements available.

“We recognise that this is an uncertain time for affected employees and their families.

“Jobcentre Plus, through its rapid response service, stands ready to support any employee affected.”

Freddie McBride, 61, from Balham, south London, branded Flybe “outrageous” after his flight from Heathrow to Belfast on Saturday morning was cancelled with just three hours’ notice, forcing he and his wife to rebook with Aer Lingus.

He told the PA news agency: “I got up at the crack of dawn, packed and we couldn’t check in online last night so I thought we’d do it this morning.

“I left my wife to do it while I got the train. I got up at six and left the house before seven. I got to Hatton Central and I checked my email and it says they’ve gone into administration. It’s just outrageous.

“I had to phone my wife to tell her and she booked from home while I was running about to terminal three and five to British Airways because I thought we could fly with them.”

He added: “When I get on the plane I’ll be relieved. They allowed us to book about a day or two ago. It’s not good, it’s not good.”

Labour called the news “devastating” as it urged the Government to act.

“Protection for passengers is simply not strong enough – and ministers have sat on their hands for years and failed to introduce long-promised airline insolvency laws,” shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said.

“They must act, and urgently strengthen protections for passengers, employees and those affected,” she added.

Matthew Hall, chief executive of Belfast City Airport, said: “First and foremost, our thoughts are with Flybe employees and passengers affected by this disappointing and unexpected news.

“Passengers booked on Flybe flights should not travel to the airport and should seek further advice from the Civil Aviation Authority.”

Unite national officer for civil aviation Oliver Richardson said: “The Government has not learned the lessons from the original collapse of Flybe.

“It has failed to introduce the Airline Insolvency Bill, which would have allowed Flybe to continue to operate, avoided passengers being stranded and staff losing their jobs in the middle of the night.

“In recent years the UK has seen the collapse of Monarch, Thomas Cook and Flybe twice, how many more airlines will be allowed to plunge into administration before the Government introduces the measures needed to protect the UK’s aviation industry and its passengers?”

Martin Chalk, general secretary of the pilots union Balpa, said: “Many of the staff of Flybe will have recently suffered the harrowing effects of one bankruptcy, and now they are being subjected to yet another.

“Balpa will not only support its members through this difficult time, but will seek to work with the DfT to improve the regulatory framework to avoid such sudden and precipitous events in the future.”

By Rebecca McGirr

BBC News NI

Flybe passengers are facing chaos and frustration after the airline went into administration.

Flybe had only restarted operations last April after collapsing in 2020, and now passengers have been left forking out for alternative travel.

Flybe's administrator confirmed 277 of its 321 staff are being made redundant.

Dozens of Flybe staff work at Belfast City Airport. The airport's chief executive said the news was disappointing and unexpected.

Most of the employees have been made redundant, with 45 retained to assist the administrators.

News of the collapse came in the early hours of Saturday morning - the first flight out of Belfast City Airport was for Newcastle and it was due to leave at 07:00 GMT.

Natalie Punshon, from Darlington in England, had been visiting Belfast after her mother died a few weeks ago.

"The last couple of days has just been sorting myself out, going round and just taking a bit of time to gather myself a bit," she told BBC NI.

Confusion and stress

Ms Punshon had been due to fly back to Newcastle on Sunday but woke up to two emails from Flybe on Saturday morning.

She said one email stated that Flybe had gone into administration and the flight was cancelled, the second requested that she check in for her flight.

"I was a bit confused, went online checked the news websites, checked Flybe and saw that, yes, it actually had been cancelled," she told BBC News NI.

Ms Punshon booked a flight for Sunday with another airline for an additional cost of £100.

Her mother's funeral is next week.

"I know I am lucky I have the flight booked back but at the back of my mind it is kind of: 'What if I hadn't been able to get a flight back?'" she said.

Chris Donnelly was scheduled to fly from Belfast City to Heathrow at 07:25.

At 03:07 he received an email from Flybe which said the company had gone into administration and his flight had been cancelled - it also advised passengers not to travel to the airport.

Mr Donnelly, a school principal and political commentator, was on his way to the airport when he saw the email.

He was able to book an alternative flight from Belfast to Gatwick, but doing so at short notice was inconvenient.

Mr Donnelly added he had booked train tickets from Heathrow into central London costing £50, which were of no use to him now.

Lucy Buller, 23, was due to start her journey to Australia on Saturday afternoon, beginning with a flight from Belfast City to Amsterdam.

The Holywood woman, who is going to Melbourne to work, said her mum heard about Flybe on the radio and it had all been very stressful.

She has now booked an alternative but more expensive flight from Dublin on Saturday evening.

This version of Flybe only began operating in April last year, it had been bought out of administration after collapsing under previous owners at the start of the pandemic in 2020.

Then it was a potentially existential event for the City Airport.

Flybe was its biggest operator and with pandemic restrictions taking a grip it was unclear when or if Flybe would be replaced.

This time is different. IAG, with its Aer Lingus and BA brands, is now the main customer of the airport.

And on eight of Flybe's 10 routes the airport already offers an alternative carrier.

However there must now be a question whether an independent UK regional airline in the Flybe mould is now viable.

If not it could mean less competition and ultimately higher prices for customers.

David Rea, from Lisburn, booked flights two days ago for himself and 10 friends to attend a stag do in Leeds at the end of April.

The 28-year-old area sales manager spent £1,200 on the flights from Belfast City to Leeds Bradford and is unsure how long it will take to get his money back.

"I found out this morning from a WhatsApp message - one of my friends asked if our flights were with Flybe and then I saw the news," he said.

"I still haven't had any contact from Flybe.

"I phoned my bank to ask if I could cancel the payment and they said no, but it is still pending so it may come back into my account - otherwise I have to speak to the disputes team."

They have already booked a hotel in Leeds, so they are now looking at their flight options.

The Independent's travel correspondent Simon Calder said it should be straightforward for customers to get their money back from their card issuer or travel agent.

He also told BBC Radio Ulster's On Your Behalf show that help might be at hand for those trying to find alternative and usually more expensive flights.

"I fully expect other airlines to come in with so-called rescue fares," he said.

"They will be offering a very good deal for people who were on Flybe to be able to continue their journeys."

On the wider implications, Mr Calder said since Flybe's previous collapse, other airlines had moved in and picked up the profitable routes from Belfast.

While there was no room for Flybe, he added, Northern Ireland probably had "just about the connectivity it needed and deserved".

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

When Flybe collapsed in 2020, it was responsible for about 80% of Belfast City's flights. More recently Flybe made up about 14% of flights at the airport.

'Surprise to everyone'

Matthew Hall, chief executive of Belfast City Airport, said their thoughts were with Flybe employees and passengers affected by the "disappointing and unexpected" news.

"Passengers booked on Flybe flights should not travel to the airport and should seek further advice from the Civil Aviation Authority," he said.

"Flybe operated 10 flights to and from Belfast City, eight of which are currently served by other carriers from our airport."

East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson said the collapse of Flybe had come as a shock to the airport's management.

"I understand that news of Flybe's announcement came as much as a surprise to them as it did to the pilots, cabin crew and members of the travelling public," he said.

"Already the airport are engaged in discussions about ensuring the routes continue through other airlines."

For the latest advice, Flybe customers should visit the Civil Aviation Authority's website.

The Consumer Council said it was important passengers knew their rights with regards to compensation and assistance, and pointed people to their website.

(Bloomberg) -- China will resume issuing visas to Japanese nationals from Sunday, ending some of the retaliatory measures it took against Covid-related curbs on Chinese travelers.

The Chinese embassy in Japan issued a statement on its official WeChat account announcing the removal of the visa restrictions for Japanese travelers, without giving a reason. 

China announced on Jan. 10 that it had suspended issuing some visas for South Korea and Japan in Beijing’s first retaliation against Covid-related curbs on Chinese travelers to those countries. 

There was no update of China’s suspension of visas for South Korea. The Chinese embassy to South Korea said in a Jan. 10 statement that the a resumption depended on South Korea’s removal of its “discriminative inbound restrictive measures” targeting China.

Beijing wound back its measures despite no adjustment by Japan on its Covid rules over inbound travelers from China. Japanese firms have been taking their money out of China, and the government in Tokyo has been encouraging companies to reduce their Chinese dependence.

READ: China Hits Back at South Korea, Japan in Covid Retaliation (1) 

--With assistance from James Mayger.

(Adds details on shrinking Japanese investment in China in last paragraph.)

Ryanair (RYA.IR) has forecast higher airfare costs for passengers, after the Dublin-based firm reported a net profit of £185m ($229m/€210.6m) due to increased bookings over the Christmas and New Year period.

The company's chief financial officer Neil Sorahan said Ryanair will "deliver record profits in the current financial year and we would expect to continue to grow profitably into next year and beyond".

However, "based on current booking profiles, we think that fares will rise into Easter and the summer", he said.

In Monday's third quarter results, the largest European low-cost carrier expressed confidence for the future and raised its annual profit outlook to a range of £1.16m to £1.25m as sales rose 57% to £2.03bn in the fourth quarter of last year.

Profits for the period reached £185m, compared to a £84m loss the previous year.

(Bloomberg) -- Southwest Airlines Co. and American Airlines Group Inc. have canceled more than 1,500 flights early this week as a winter storm brings freezing temperatures, sleet and possible ice accumulation to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 

Southwest, which accounts for nearly all the flights at Dallas Love Field, grounded 483 Monday and pre-canceled 309 Tuesday, according to data tracker FlightAware.com. American, the largest airline at nearby Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, canceled 314 Monday and 450 Tuesday because of the storm, including some flights by its regional partners, the carrier said.

Parts of north and central Texas are under a winter storm warning until noon Wednesday, with icing on bridges and roads causing dangerous travel conditions, the National Weather Service said. Flights also were canceled by weather in Denver, where Southwest has a large operation. 

The Dallas-based airline doesn’t expect a repeat of an operational meltdown in late December, a spokesman said. That began when a widespread winter storm triggered so many cancellations that it overwhelmed Southwest’s crew scheduling system.

Both Southwest and American have issued waivers allowing customers to rebook flights without triggering fees. 

About 31% of flights were canceled Monday at Love Field, close to 20% at DFW and about 10% in Denver, according to FlightAware.

Responding to Mr Udoh, Abike Dabira-Erewa, chairperson of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) asked, “do Nigerians in diaspora keep or spend Naira notes abroad? Am I missing something?”

By Chiamaka Okafor

Nigerians in the Diaspora have expressed concern about what to do with old naira notes in their possession.

Colin Udoh, a Nigerian who according to his Twitter profile lives in the US and is a former Super Eagles press officer, asked, “I have some old naira notes with me. So far, I haven’t seen or heard of any plans by central bank for folks in diaspora with old naira notes to exchange theirs. Am I missing something?”

Responding to Mr Udoh, Abike Dabira-Erewa, chairperson of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) asked, “do Nigerians in diaspora keep or spend Naira notes abroad? Am I missing something?”

In response, Mr Udoh explained that he always has naira notes for whenever he returns to Nigeria.

“I always carry some naira with me in case I need to pay for stuff. And on arrival, it’s a backup to pay for things like trolley, car rental, assistance, hotels, etc in case ATM fails,” Mr Udoh wrote.

Corroborating Mr Udoh, Osariemen, another user whose profile suggests he lives in the US, said it is an unspoken rule to keep naira notes for anyone who plans to return to Nigeria.

“I have Naira note here, trust me, you do not want to arrive Nigeria without it. Those airport people will milk you. It is an unspoken rule, keep Naira notes if you intend travelling back to Nigeria,” she said.

Shola Olushola added that “most Nigerians keep Naira with us so that during a visit home, there will be some cash to spend for one or 2 days before visiting BDC. So, it is not out of place if anyone asks for the central bank’s plan towards those in the diaspora.”

Also, Farooq Kperogi, a professor of journalism at Kennesaw State University in the US, said he takes back naira notes when he travels to Nigeria “so that when we have occasion to visit again we can have naira to spend at the airport for trolleys and to pay for taxis to our hotels or houses. I’m now resigned to the fact that the naira I have with me here is useless.”

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2023 unveiled new notes of the three highest denominations of the Nigerian currency: N200, N500 and N1,000.

The banking regulator initially set 31 January as the deadline for the use of the old notes but extended the deadline to 10 February after public outcry.

Expert opinion

Onofiok Kings, an Abuja-based financial expert, said the rules must be implemented across the board.

“Typically, we do not expect Nigerians to keep so much Naira abroad as they should have changed it to the universal currency which is the United States dollar,” he said.

However, since the deadline has been shifted, NIDCOM should be called upon to either negotiate or liaise with the central bank to give a timeline and or a deadline for Nigerians in the diaspora to enable them to change their Naira to either the newly designed notes or any currency of their choosing.

“I believe that it is an issue worth considering. It is possible that a considerable amount of money are with such folks” Tope Fasua, an economist, said about the concerns raised by the diasporans. He advised that a policy statement may be made for such people after the new deadline to approach their banks with such old currencies when they are in the country.

“It is a fact that such policies should have some elements of surprise. It is also a fact that in a country like Nigeria, the policy targets criminals – kidnappers, narcotics dealers, corrupt politicians and civil servants, money launderers and so on,” Mr Fasua said.

The Federal Government has launched another passport front desk office in Lagos State, as part of its strategy to make passport administration a seamless exercise for Nigerians.

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola said the opening of the front desk office is to ease the ever-increasing pressure on the three existing passport control offices in Lagos.

Speaking at the commissioning, the minister said, the government is committed to ensuring that challenges associated with accessing the Nigerian international passport are resolved.

“We are also committed to expanding our Passport Issuance operations to bridge the shortage gap we face usually in urban centres like Lagos. It is this need that gave birth to the Alimosho Front Desk Office to ease the ever-increasing pressure on the three existing Passport Control Offices domiciled in Lagos.

A statement signed by the media adviser to the minister, Sola Fasure contains that Aregbesola revealed that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is working hard and increasing its capacity to cope with the high demand of Passports, in spite of the challenges faced.

“Applications have been increasing every year at unprecedented rate, due to the tendency of many Nigerians wanting to travel outside the country and those who want to use it as means of identification.

He said another cause for the rush to get the passport booklet is the ‘panic buying’ effect from those who wanted to obtain the passport because they heard some people (who probably went through touts) had difficulty obtaining theirs.

“But we have increased our capacity. Last year (2022), we produced 1.9 million passports, against the 1 million produced in 2021. This is about 80 per cent increase and it is unprecedented.

The Interior Minister however explained that the Alimosho-office is mainly for passport application and collection of biometric data, and eventual issuance, and not for passport production.

He stressed the inevitability of the emergence of private partners to provide spaces for more front offices in Lagos, due to the funding challenge faced by the government, as this will reduce the application waiting period to one week.

“But due to funding challenge, the government may not be able to provide these desk offices. We will therefore need private partners that will provide the lounge. Their only involvement will be to provide the space. The offices will still be manned and operated by NIS personnel.

“We certainly need more of this in Lagos. This is because half of all passport applications are made in Lagos. We will therefore need not less than 15 of these front offices in Lagos alone, to be able to cut the application waiting period to one week,” he explained.

Comptroller General of, NIS, Isah Idris, promised that the Service will continue to render quality and efficient service to Nigerians in need of its service.

According to him, “The NIS will continue to render efficient and effective service delivery to the public and I urge all to avail themselves of the numerous complaints mechanisms made available to our esteemed customers who for whatever reason(s) is displeased with the services rendered.

“There are lots of publications, signage and sensitization materials on the procedure of acquiring the Nigeria e-passport. Avail yourselves of this information targeted at reducing interference of anyone in the process of applying for the said facility. This is aimed at eliminating touting, extortion and other vices,” CG Jere noted.

“The Passport Office remains a no-go-area for touts, passport racketeers, fake breeder documents harvesters and all sorts of undesirable elements. I wish to warn that the long arm of the law and its full force will be visited on any person who by an act of commission or omission infringes on the Passport Offences as stipulated in Section 10(1a-h) of the Immigration Act, 2015.”

Air Peace has expanded its regional route network with the addition of Abuja-Banjul and Abuja-Dakar connections. This is just as the airline has also kicked…

By Abdullateef Aliyu

Air Peace has expanded its regional route network with the addition of Abuja-Banjul and Abuja-Dakar connections.

This is just as the airline has also kicked off plans to launch flight operations into Maiduguri and Jos.

Air Peace spokesperson, Stanley Olisa, in a statement, stated that the introduced regional connections from Abuja operate on Mondays and Fridays.

Air Peace leads Nigeria’s aviation industry with a network of 20 domestic routes, seven regional routes and three international destinations.

Nigerian flag carrier, Air Peace, has announced the addition of Abuja-Banjul and Abuja-Dakar connections to its regional network of seven West African cities.

This is as the airline has also kicked off plans to launch flight operations into Maiduguri and Jos.

Spokesperson of the airline, Stanley Olisa, said the routes were in response to demands of the travelling public and improving connectivity on the continent.

Olisa added that Air Peace was finalising plans to expand its presence in the North East and North Central cities of Maiduguri and Jos, and the launch dates would be announced soon. Air Peace already operates three routes in the regions- Gombe, Ilorin and Makurdi.

He said: “These new connections and planned routes are a further testament to our determination to continually interconnect Nigeria, giving Nigerians more network options and seamless connectivity. Also, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, Malabo and Congo Kinshasa are in the works.”

The airline has 38 aircraft and is expecting eight brand new Embraer 195-E2s from its firm order in 2019 and additional 15 brand new Boeing 737 Max 8 and 10 orders.

Air Peace leads Nigeria’s aviation industry with a network of 20 domestic routes, seven regional routes and three international destinations, with an increasing, mixed modern fleet comprising Boeing 777, Boeing 737, Embraer 195-E2, Airbus 320, ERJ 145 and Dornier 328 Jet.

The long proposed national airline by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will receive its Air Operating Certificate in two weeks, says the minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika. This is according to a report by AeroTime, which quotes the minister as saying the national carrier represents an opportunity for the country’s aviation sector and Africa in general.

“Well, Nigeria Air will launch shortly. There is a process to establishing an airline and that process is driven by the CAA of Nigeria, which is the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, and it comes in phases: phases one, two, three, four, and five. Those processes must happen. But before those processes will happen, because it is a private-public partnership, it must go through the Infrastructure, Concession Regulatory Commission, starting by establishing a consultancy firm transaction advisor to make a business case and to see whether it is a viable bankable project. And that has been done. It took, of course, about two years to do.

“So, you must study the market in at least two cycles. That happened, the outline business case was produced, which looked very good, and it was approved by the ICRC. Then it was taken to the Federal Executive Council, [where it was] also approved. And then, before now, we went to [the] public to invite for tenders for bidders, which is the procurement process. “In that procurement process, Nigeria Air ended up having Ethiopian Airlines as a partner with 49 percent, and then 5 percent is for the Government of Nigeria, and 46 percent’; Nigerian entrepreneurs and companies. coming together to own the rest. Now this would be the structure of the airline,” the report quoted the minister as saying.

Furthermore, the minister said, “Nigeria Air has applied for the Air Transport Licence which has been issued, and now they’re applying for an AOC. I believe that one week from today, it should be able to get the AOC issued or within two weeks maximum. And that will signal the beginning of the establishment of the carrier itself [which can then begin flying). So, the airline is on its way, and it will be soon. It will be launched within this quarter, it will be flying within this quarter, and it will give Nigeria the service that has been eluding it.”