Aberdeen Airport’s managing director today estimated passenger numbers could be 10% to 20% down in the “coming weeks”, in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Steve Szalay said he reacted with “absolute horror” when he heard regional airline Flybe was going into administration last night.
Pilots and cabin crew arrived at the city’s airport last night to find they did not have a job, having been “oblivious” to their fate while in the air.
It comes as Mr Szalay admitted that passenger numbers were down in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, adding he’d heard anecdotally that it was the “straw that broke the camel’s back” for the regional airline.
We’re estimating over the coming weeks that we might be 1o%-20% down but we’ll just see how that develops but at the minute people are continuing to fly which is great.”
He said: “With coronavirus, people are listening to the government guidelines which are carry on and wash your hands so a lot of business travel is continuing to fly.
“We’re seeing numbers down and I have heard it said anecdotally, I’ve no evidence for that, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“It’s always difficult flying in winter when the volumes are down and then you get a coronavirus which makes a bad picture even worse.
“We’re estimating over the coming weeks that we might be 1o%-20% down but we’ll just see how that develops but at the minute people are continuing to fly, which is great.”
Mr Szalay said the impact of Flybe’s collapse was “huge” on the airport, accounting for around 15% of the airport’s daily flights.
But stressed that work was already being taken by other airlines to fill those routes, with a clearer picture expected by next week.
He said: “Today for example there should be 24 flights, 12 out and 12 inbound.
“The market at some stage and very quickly will correct itself so other airlines are already looking at those routes to see how they can readjust and what can they do with their flying schedules.
“For example the Birmingham and Manchester routes are hugely popular. You’re talking about 200,000 people on each of those routes so that’s a huge market so other airlines will fill those routes.
“Eastern have also guaranteed the flights they fly under the Flybe franchise, they will continue and now Eastern need to look at how they can sell tickets for that.
“They will also be looking at those other routes. There’s going to be a lot of moving parts in the next week and a picture will have settled down by the middle of next week as to what’s come back.”
Recounting the events of last night, the airport managing director said he first heard of an issue at around 7pm and was soon after meeting staff off the aircraft who were “oblivious” to their fate.
He said: “We saw there was an issue in Exeter with refuelling and then it just snowballed from there until I was meeting the aircraft arriving at 10pm, for example, from Birmingham to tell the pilots and cabin crew that Flybe had gone into administration.
“Of course it was all happening while they were in the air so they were oblivious to it. It was just terrible.”
Passengers will be left today to find alternative methods of transport, with some choosing to buy new tickets with other airlines to get to their chosen destinations.
What was amazing is there was no anger, no animosity, everyone was worried about the Flybe staff.”
He said: “There are no Flybe flights and there’s no nice way of putting that but people have to find an alternative method and then pay for that alternative method themselves.
“This morning we had about 20 Flybe passengers who didn’t hear the news because they were asleep waiting for an early flight in the morning and they arrived at the airport to find that Flybe no longer existed.
“Fortunately for the Heathrow passengers there was a British Airways Heathrow flight and many of them booked on that.
“Other passengers, a couple of fellas trying to Manchester clubbed together and hired a car together.
“What was amazing is there was no anger, no animosity, everyone was worried about the Flybe staff.
“We had the Flybe chief pilot in there who wasn’t being paid. He is now unemployed but he’s in there trying to reassure passengers and staff.”
