Both airline groups, Air France/KLM and Lufthansa, are interested into buying bankrupt Flybe, British newspaper The Telegraph reports. The modest company with 2,000 employees and carrying 8 million passengers per year connects many regional British cities and around fifty European cities with France being its second-best market.
After being bailed out by the Connect Airways consortium owned by Virgin Atlantic and the Stobart and Cyrus funds, the British Prime Minister at the time, Boris Johnson, tried to save it again, from January 2020, by reducing the tax on air passengers.
But on 5 March 2020, the airline entered into administration. And most recently, on 28 January 2023, Flybe was declared bankrupt again.
The airline groups are looking into a possible take-over and are highly interested in the valued airport slots at London Heathrow and Amsterdam Schiphol.
Potential buyers have to acquire the entire company, including taking on much of the bankrupt airline’s liabilities. If no buyer is found, Flybe’s slots will be given back to the airport authorities, The Telegraph adds.
