Flybe plans job cuts at Highlands airport
BUDGET airline Flybe is proposing to make 35 people redundant in Inverness.
The Exeter-based airline wants to cut 500 cabin crew, pilots and engineering staff overall.
The firm confirmed today (Friday) it has started the consultation process with staff.
It also indicated it was business as usual with regard to flights to and from Inverness.
"A review of the number of Flybe bases, to remove surplus aircraft capacity wherever necessary and improve aircraft and crew utilisation, has determined that Flybe will no longer have a requirement to base aircraft in Inverness with effect from 31st March 2014 with the proposed loss through redundancies, following consultations, of its 35 employees," said a company spokesman.
"Flybe remains fully committed to delivering unrivalled regional connectivity throughout the UK to and from Inverness and can reassure its passengers that they can continue to book with confidence."
Flybe will cease to operate services to Gatwick from Inverness at the end of March next year.
It sold the arrival and departure slots at the London airport to rivals easyJet, which is committed to operating early morning and evening services between the Highland capital and Gatwick, which are particularly popular with business travellers.
"It is a matter of great regret that many valued and hard-working colleagues will leave the company and that we are having to close our Inverness base," said Saad Hammad, Flybe’s chief executive officer.
"The proposed redundancy process will be done fairly in order to deliver an equitable outcome for all employees involved, provide the best possible platform for future company growth and secure the long-term employment for the remainder of our staff."
In addition to Inverness, there are proposed redundancies at Aberdeen (12 proposed redundancies), Edinburgh (49) and Glasgow (37), and south of the border at Exeter (116), Birmingham (49), Manchester (13), Newcastle (17), Southampton (17) and, elsewhere, Belfast city (52), Guernsey (12), Isle of Man (49), and Jersey (35).
He added: "We are committed to connecting the UK’s regions and we intend to continue flying to these airports after the base closures.
"I know that these proposals are creating great personal uncertainty but they are necessary to secure a long-term future for Flybe and I am grateful to the various union and staff representatives for the very constructive manner in which we have been able to commence the consultation process. I hope that the detail of the proposed base closures and staff cuts will further assist that process."
Flybe operates Inverness’s flagship route to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, underpinned by a £450,000 public-funding deal, which ends in September 2014. The airline also operates services from Inverness to Benbecula, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester, Stornoway, Sumburgh and Kirkwall, as well as seasonal flights to Jersey, Geneva and Zurich.
Flybe employs 2700 people in the UK and reported a pre-tax profit of £13.8 million for the six months to the end of September. This compares to a loss of £1.6m during the same period last year.
Scottish Council for Development and Industry’s (SCDI) Highlands and Islands manager Fraser Grieve said: "It is disappointing to hear of the proposed loss of 133 Flybe jobs across Scotland, including 35 at Inverness and 12 at Aberdeen, and clearly this will be a concerning time for all the staff affected.
"Whilst Flybe have proposed closing their bases at Inverness and Aberdeen, questions remain over the routes they operate and how these will be affected. Air connectivity is vital for the region’s economy and the SCDI will be working with others to make the strongest case for the future of our air links."