Transport minister Grant Shapps says the Government did all it could to save Flybe, but external factors like the Coronavirus have killed the company.
Flybe’s demise, announced early on Thursday and blamed in part on a drop in demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak, sparked fierce condemnation from unions and opposition politicians, who criticised both the airline’s owners and the Government for failing to act to save it.
The carrier narrowly avoided going bust in January but has continued to lose money since then.
The airline announced in the early hours that it had ceased trading with immediate effect and that administrators had been appointed after crisis talks on Wednesday failed to secure a rescue package.