英国也是欧洲最大区域中短途航空公司英国的弗莱比（Flybe）宣告破产，导致至少2500多人失业，和数个地方机场运营困难。
弗莱比航空公司表示，冠状病毒疫情对航空旅行需求下跌是造成其崩溃的部分原因。
弗莱比航空公司也是全欧洲最大的区域航空公司，航线链接着欧盟境内56个机场，连接这英国各地与巴黎、阿姆斯特丹、杜塞多夫等欧洲重要城市的繁忙的航线。
已经或可能实施的检疫措施，在密集座位空间旅行，这些在新冠疫情之下，都对短途航空业产生消极影响。
被欧洲目前最严重疫情困扰的意大利北方两大城市：米兰和维罗纳都是疫情影响严重的地区。而这是弗莱比航空公司两大重要的欧洲站点。
弗莱比航空也许不是欧洲被疫情击倒的最后一家航空公司。
在过去两年里，包括英国在内，欧洲已经有十几家航空公司先后宣布破产保护或重组。比如著名的英国托马斯库克航空，英国君主航空。
虽然年龄各异，但都有着对欧洲乃至世界经济环境变迁免疫力低下的问题，由来已久的问题包括欧洲内部航空运力过剩，竞争激烈，需求疲软。
除了燃油价格高企以外，还有一系列社会经济因素对传统航空公司的适应市场能力提出前所未有的挑战，包括劳资关系改变，互联网和社交媒体普及改变人们出行方式和习惯，客户延误赔偿规定严格、空管延误率高和政府税收高等一系列原因，导致运营成本高企不下。
新冠肺炎疫情的冲击，在弗莱比航空原有的痼疾之上导致了并发症。
Flybe, an ailing regional airline in Britain that was praised for flying into underserved corners of the country, ceased operations on Thursday after financial strains caused by coronavirus.
In a notice on its website dated Thursday, Flybe said that all its flights had been grounded and that it would not be able to make other arrangements for its passengers. It said the company had been placed in administration, and it directed questions to Ernst & Young, the auditing firm.
The company reportedly had about 2,000 employees. Efforts at a government bailout, announced this year, never got final approval.
“This is a sad day for U.K. aviation, and we know that Flybe’s decision to stop trading will be very distressing for all of its employees and customers,” said Richard Moriarty, chief executive of Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority, in a separate statement from the British regulator.
UK airline Flybe collapsed Thursday as a slump in demand for flights because of the novel coronavirus outbreak dealt the final blow to the struggling carrier.
Flybe told customers that it has grounded all flights as it enters administration, adding that its business in the United Kingdom had “ceased trading with immediate effect.”
“If you are due to fly with Flybe, please DO NOT TRAVEL TO THE AIRPORT unless you have arranged an alternative flight with another airline,” the company told customers in a statement Thursday. “Please note that Flybe is unfortunately not able to arrange alternative flights for passengers.”
The Exeter-based budget carrier was founded in 1979 and at one point was Europe’s largest independent regional airline, carrying 8 million passengers a year and operating more than 200 routes.
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