Flybe collapse: Passengers look to skies for help

However the ‘all’ could not have included more than a few dozen people dotted about the eerily quiet travel hub, most of them reporters covering the breaking story of the day.

Every arrival and departure up until 12.30pm was a cancelled Flybe flight and the News Letter could only discern two people who had turned up in the hope of getting an alternative airline to take them from Belfast to their destination.

The rest it seemed had stayed at home when the news landed that Flybe had collapsed, while others seeking to return to the Province were grounded elsewhere in the UK.

The Sydenham airport’s cafe and newsagency remained opened in the main foyer though business was virtually non-existent.

Meanwhile taxi drivers, kicking their heels at the rank near the entrance, were clearly worried that a key source of business had dried up overnight.

One of those grounded passengers was Maria Pengelly, who was destined for Exeter, where Flybe is based.

Maria, who is originally from Northern Ireland but now lives in England, said: “I’ve been over in Antrim visiting relatives. I was meant to be flying to Exeter with Flybe (at 12.40pm).

“I didn’t find out until about two o’clock this morning by text that the flight had been cancelled.”

Looking around the empty airport she commented: “Everybody else mustn’t have bothered turning up. I’m only here to see if I can get another flight with a different airline. If not I’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

“I’d normally travel between Exeter and Northern Ireland once or twice a year, normally with FlyBe.

“It’s been a big shock and will be a big inconvenience for an awful lot of people.”

Lekan Abasi, who lives in Belfast, was due to get a Flybe flight to Manchester yesterday (at 10.15am) then get a connection to Paris before going to visit his mother in Nigeria.

He said: “I arrived here this morning at about 4.20am. When I spoke to a member of Flybe staff yesterday there was no indication this was going to happen.

“Since then I found it impossible to get in contact with Flybe. It’s been a very stressful time for me. ”

Other airlines continuing to operate at George Best City Airport today included Aer Lingus and British Airways. KLM and Loganair were also flying to Amsterdam and Carlisle respectively.