Travel

British Flybmi passenger faces seven hour journey to get home following airline collapse and flight cancellations

A British woman visiting Belgium is facing a gruelling seven hour journey to get home after her flight was cancelled following the collapse of Flybmi.

Hannah Price, 23, from Portishead, has been forced to book onto another flight and must travel via Amsterdam to avoid being stranded abroad.

She has been visiting Brussels for business, since Monday (February 11) and was due to catch a Flybmi flight home today.

But Hannah, whose trip to Brussels has been spent sourcing goods for her clothing company, Willowknd, will now fly with Brussels Airlines.

The airline is Belgium’s largest flight operator and has stepped in to help British passengers stuck in the country.

Flybmi announced it is suspending all operations this morning.

The firm delivers passenger flights to 24 destinations in Britain and in Europe.

Many passengers like Hannah, only found out about the airline’s collapse when news articles appeared online.

It meant she was temporarily left with no way of getting home and unable to fulfil the return trip of her £130 ticket.

Hannah says she contacted Flybmi as soon as she heard the news but still hasn’t had a response.

A frustrated Hannah said: “If I am not in the UK my business can’t run. It’s highly frustrating.

“It could have had a catastrophic effect on my income.

“I did panic but I’m not surprised. Brexit was one of the reasons for them saying they’ve gone into administration.

“It is incredibly sad to see this happen to our country.”

In a statement, a spokesman pointed at Brexit and rising carbon and fuel costs.

The budget airline blamed rising fuel costs and the uncertainty of the Brexit process for its demise which has thrown the travel plans of half term holidaymakers into chaos.

Hannah added: “I was supposed to fly out tomorrow and the first I heard of it was on BBC News.

“I got in touch with the airline but they haven’t got back to me.

“I’ve got flights booked with them in March and they cost me £240.

“I’m just going to assume that money will be lost.

“I’ve got no idea what will happen.”

By Jack Longstaff

SWNS

This content was supplied for The London Economic Newspaper by SWNS news agency.

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