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Flybe has been ordered to pay a Jersey pilot and training captain nearly £25,000 for breach of contract.
Allan Graham – the collapsed airline’s only Jersey-based employee – brought a claim before the Employment and Discrimination Tribunal last month.
He argued that he was entitled to notice pay, as Flybe had not given a contractual three months’ notice to terminate his employment, and that he had outstanding unpaid wages.
The beleaguered airline, which fell into administration after covid-19 hit sales despite a recent rescue bid by Virgin-led consortium Connect airways, decided not to contest the claim.
Pictured: Mr Graham argued he was entitled to unpaid wages and notice pay.
However, it noted that the former training captain – whose LinkedIn profile states he had worked for the airline for 18 years – would be treated as an unsecured creditor if his claims were to succeed.
Chaired by Hilary Griffin, the Tribunal ordered that Flybe hand Mr Graham £24,847.40 in unpaid wages and notice pay:
Mr Graham also made a claim based on the company’s alleged failure to carry out consultations and appoint employee representatives ahead of its collapse. This claim did not succeed, however, as companies are only obligated to do so under local employment law if they have more than 12 employees.
Flybe first fell into difficulty in 2018, announcing losses of £22m amid falling demand, but was able to take flight once more after a consortium led by Virgin rescued it.
It had been due to relaunch as ‘Virgin Connect’ this year – the first major rebrand in 17 years – but found itself floundering again at the end of 2019.
Pictured: Flybe was taken over by a Virgin-led consortium before its collapse.
It then narrowly avoided going bust in January due to a deal with the UK government to defer a tax bill of around £100m, but continued losing money as the threat of coronavirus hit the travel industry.
In March, it finally crumbled, grounding all flights and ceasing trading immediately.
Flybe’s former franchise partner Blue Islands has since taken on Jersey’s ‘lifeline’ route to Southampton, which is key for transporting cancer patients for treatment, as part of a deal with Government.
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