According to EasyJet and Ryanair, former employees of the defunct regional airline Flybe should apply for positions with their respective companies.
Flybe entered into administration on Saturday, laying off 277 employees.
British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) reported receiving phone calls from concerned Flybe employees early Saturday morning.
Martin Chalk, however, stated that there were jobs “out there.”
EasyJet reported 250 available cabin crew positions.
Ryanair announced on its website’s careers page that it has openings in all categories, including pilots, engineers, and ground staff.
The general secretary of Balpa, Mr. Chalk, remarked, “Of course, there is dismay and concern.”
When Flybe collapsed three years ago, some employees had already endured a comparable situation, he explained. When this occurred, the airline laid off 2,000 employees and relaunched in April of last year.
Mr. Chalk says the market is more optimistic now that Covid is behind us.
Additionally, airlines are determined to avoid a repeat of last year’s difficulties, when staff shortages led to the cancellation of thousands of flights, leaving passengers stranded and demanding compensation.
“Work for all”
After entering administration, Flybe canceled all scheduled flights to and from the United Kingdom, affecting a total of 75,000 passengers. Passengers have scrambled to find alternate travel options.
According to airline analyst John Strickland, the majority of Flybe employees are unlikely to be stranded.
He predicted that airlines will still have openings.
Tim Jeans, director of Cornwall Airport Newquay, stated: “The good news is that, due to Flybe’s small size, virtually all of their routes will be replaced by this summer.
It has not had nearly the same impact as when it first went bankrupt three years ago.
A posting on the website of Ryanair encouraged Flybe employees to apply for new positions with the airline.
“[Ryanair] has positions for you in every aspect of our business, including flight crew, cabin crew, engineers, ground staff, and office staff,” it stated.
EasyJet stated that it is not currently seeking pilots, but it would encourage Flybe cabin crew to apply for its 250 open positions at Gatwick and Luton airports.
EasyJet stated that the Flybe cabin crew would be expedited through the recruitment process within 10 days. They could begin work in ten weeks.
Optimism
Flybe entered administration for the first time in March 2020, after the pandemic grounded nearly all flights. It was rescued by Thyme Opco, a firm affiliated with the U.S. hedge fund Cyrus Capital, and relaunched as a much smaller operator in early 2022.
This meant that there were significantly fewer jobs at stake this time, according to airline analyst John Strickland.
“[And] the staff has never been more optimistic,” he said. Covid created an industry-wide shock just as the original Flybe company collapsed with approximately 70 aircraft.
“Compare this to the revitalized Flybe, with only about five aircraft, entering a period when we hope to put Covid behind us substantially, a period when airlines are optimistic about bookings.”
He added that Ryanair and EasyJet appear to be in a strong position to hire personnel.
Ryanair has already returned to profitability despite last year’s difficulties, and CEO Micheal O’Leary recently told the Financial Times that he sees “no signs” of the current economic slowdown affecting airlines.
EasyJet CEO Johan Lundgren told that his company’s sales have rebounded, thereby reducing its losses.
Mr. Strickland stated that Flybe had not been able to capitalize on the return of travel demand due to the airline’s lack of “a clear and defensible business strategy, given that regional flying is the most difficult segment to be in.”
Mr. Chalk of Balpa stated that he would like to work with the sector and the government to ensure a more stable market, as opposed to “the churn” of companies recruiting employees from one another.
