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By Kathryn B. Creedy

Third in a Series. Previous articles:

• The future of regional jets is limited by choices, Scope Clause
• US Regional Consolidation Began Before Covid

Introduction

Aug. 31, 2020, (c) Leeham News: European regionals face far greater challenges than Covid and, sadly, much of what is happening to the industry is beyond its control. The result is similar to failures seen in the U.S.  Flybe’s recent loss resulted from pre-Covid problems which also led to the pre-Covid failures of such airlines as Flybmi and Cobalt.

The failures illustrate, however, the three reasons why European regionals are so fragile – low-cost competition, geography, and challenging government policy.

Flybe is just the latest of many regionals to cease operations owing to harsh conditions in Europe.

Summary

• Government Policies Hardest on Regionals
• LCC Competition Challenging
• Consumer Protections Crushing
• Turboprops Have Large Role