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A number of employees affected by the collapse of Flybe may take legal action over the way redundancies were managed, after they alleged found out that they had lost their jobs during a company Zoom call.
The regional airline - whose roots are in Jersey - fell into bankruptcy for the second time in three years last month, with all flights grounded, and administrators for Flybe have since been unable to find a buyer for the collapsed airline due to a "challenging set of circumstances".
Appointed administrators from Interpath said they will begin “winding down the business” and “identifying options” for the sale of Flybe's “rights, interests and assets”.
On January 28, 277 of Flybe’s 321 staff were made redundant with the remaining staff expected to follow shortly.
Law firm Aticus, which has a specialist employment team, reported that it has been contacted by around a dozen former Flybe employees and has offered initial advice regarding a protective award claim against the airline.
Those involved in the legal challenge could receive up to eight weeks’ worth of pay in compensation, with a cap of £571 per week.
Pictured: Before going into administration for the first time in March 2020, Flybe had flown more UK domestic routes between airports outside London than any other airline. (David Young/PA)
Edward Judge from Aticus Law told West Midlands regional newspaper, The Express & Star, that they "have now been contacted by a number of individuals who have been affected by job losses following the recent collapse of Flybe, and from what we understand to date they were made aware of the redundancies over Zoom".
He explained: “Sadly, in the current economic climate, it is not unusual to read about companies going into administration. The travel industry in particular has been hard hit by the pandemic, and the cost of living crisis.
“However, what is worrying that despite these businesses being fully aware of their legal obligation to enter into fair consultation over redundancies, that process seems to be bypassed entirely time and time again.
“Instead, staff are told that they have lost their jobs with immediate effect. The individuals who have reached out to us for advice regarding their rights are understandably very anxious and concerned about what the future has in store for them.”
Flybe was first 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.
Before that, it had flown more UK domestic routes between airports outside London than any other airline.
Its business and assets were purchased in April 2021 by Thyme Opco, linked to US hedge fund Cyrus Capital.
Flights resumed 12 months later, with the airline based at Birmingham Airport, but will now be wound down for the final time after discussions were been brought to a close last week without a deal being agreed.
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