A passenger has told how Flybe staff on an Edinburgh-bound flight found out the company was going bust mid-air, after having to turn the plane around and land at Manchester Airport.
The passenger, who does not want to to named, has spoken of "devastation" and "confusion" on a Flybe flight that had been intended to travel from Birmingham to Edinburgh on Wednesday night.
Passengers on board the flight were left bewildered after being told they were landing in Edinburgh, only to discover the plane had been turned around moments after touching down at Manchester Airport.
The passenger said: "They said to us we were landing up in Edinburgh. The young pilot said 'don't worry our company's not in trouble, it's just Edinburgh Airport are overreacting. Manchester Airport are going to refuel us and we'll get back in the air as quick as possible'.
"Manchester never intended to refuel us but she really believed it, which is the really sad thing. Officials came on and spoke to the pilot. She [the pilot] said: 'I'm really sorry we're not being refueled now, you may know more than me. I only know what I'm reading on Twitter'.
"They really believed until that point that the company was not going into administration because that's what she [the pilot] had been told."
Like many Flybe planes around the UK, the aircraft was then impounded as officials moved in to speak to the pilot and staff with news breaking that the company was on the brink of collapse.
It would be another two hours before passengers were let off the plane but the hard-working cabin crew were said to have "kept on a brave face".
The passenger, who frequently travels by plane for work, said: "It was another two hours before Manchester Airport let us off the plane.
"It was really hot and staff were running up and down giving out glasses of water but we knew then they had lost their jobs - they were just amazing.
"They were in the wrong location too and they were trying to put on a brave face, you could hear it in the pilot's voice, she was trying to be strong about the situation."
The passenger slammed Flybe for "locking up" the plane on the tarmac, adding that it made it even harder for people to get home after delaying their exit from the aircraft.
She added: "The feeling on the plane was devastation for these people that were standing learning what was happening to them. We were all horrified at that"
The passenger has since arrived back in Edinburgh via train and praised FirstGroup, the UK’s largest rail operator, after they stepped in to offer free tickets to affected Flybe customers.
Edinburgh Live have reached out to Flybe for comment.
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