Birmingham set to lose nearly 50 Flybe jobs says airline

ALMOST 50 employees at low cost airline Flybe at Birmingham Airport are set to lose their jobs as part of the latest round of cutbacks announced by the group.

The airline is planning on making 500 employees redundant across its operations in a move which could see the closure of its bases in Aberdeen, Guernsey, Inverness, Isle of Man, Jersey and Newcastle.

However, it said remained committed to its regional operations and would continue to fly from these bases.

 Of the job losses, 49 will be lost at Birmingham with a similar number going at Edinburgh. The burden will fall on the airline’s base in Exeter where 116 jobs are due to be lost. Elsewhere, 52 jobs are scheduled to go in Belfast with 13 set for the axe at Manchester.

The airline said it had begun constructive consultations with Balpa, Unite, Prospect and employee representatives in respect of the redundancies.

Saad Hammad, Flybe chief executive, said: “We are committed to connecting the UK’s regions and we intend to continue flying to these airports after the base closures.
 
“I know that these proposals are creating great personal uncertainty but they are necessary to secure a long-term future for Flybe and I am grateful to the various union and staff representatives for the very constructive manner in which we have been able to commence the consultation process.  I hope that the detail of the proposed base closures and staff cuts will further assist that process.”