Passengers are increasingly nervous about booking with lesser known carriers in the run-up to March 29, despite the EU’s agreement that British-based and British-owned airlines will be able to fly to and from the Continent and overfly Europe for at least nine months after the UK leaves.

The company’s owner, Airline Investments, must also take a hefty share of blame for its financial travails, but Flybmi’s problems are also a reflection of a far broader malaise in the airline industry.

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The East Midlands-based airline had 376 staff and operated 17 planes that flew to 25 cities

 The rise of a new generation of discount carriers, challenging the dominance of established no-frills players such as EasyJet and Ryanair, means that there is huge overcapacity in the industry.

In essence, the numbers of seats outstrips the volume of travellers. This has meant a bonanza for consumers who are able to travel to Europe, and more recently cross the Atlantic, at super low prices.

But it has been destructive for the discount carriers.

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People were left in the lurch at airports across the country due to Flybmi’s sudden collapse

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Alex Brummer believes a new generation of discount carriers has led to an oversupply of flights

Transatlantic carrier Norwegian has, after initial success and growth, plunged into losses and is desperately looking for an injection of cash. Hungarian-owned Wizz Air has plunged into losses. Even Ryanair, Europe’s most profitable airline, owned up to losses in the last quarter.

Meanwhile, tour operator Thomas Cook has put its profitable airline up for sale as part of a drive to raise new funds, while Monarch went bust last year.

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British pilot David Ibbotson, 60, checked into Nantes Atlantique Airport shortly before take-off after admitting to a friend on Facebook he had approached the runway ‘on the high side’ – but joked, tragically: ‘Better than on the low side’.

Hours later at around 8.30pm on Monday night the plane carrying him and his £15million passenger crashed into the Channel off Alderney and both men are missing, presumed dead. 

Another day of searching by lifeboats and helicopters was called off tonight at nightfall. Guernsey Police said a decision would be made tomorrow on whether or not to recommence the search in the morning. 

Mr Ibbotson, understood to be a part-time pilot who has also worked as a gas engineer and wedding DJ, is said to have flown Sala to Wales when the footballer agreed to sign last Friday. 

It is thought he first flew the star back to France to say a ‘final goodbye’ to his former Nantes team-mates on Saturday, and was at the controls during the ill-fated final journey back to Britain 48 hours ago. 

The 60-year-old, whose nickname is ‘Dibbo’, has three children and lives with wife Nora near Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, and according to his Facebook account he checked into a hotel next to Nantes Airport on Saturday night. He is said to be a highly-experienced pilot who specialises in private flights and parachute expeditions but it is unclear how many hours he has flown. 

The plane was chartered by the family of a former British mega agents – Scottish-born Willie McKay – who had a hand in the £15million deal. The former Monaco resident is not Sala’s representative but his son Mark is said to have helped with brokering the transfer between Cardiff and Nantes as well as his flight from France to Wales.

Mr McKay Sr is one of Britain’s best known former football agents and has made millions helping top French stars move to England’s top leagues as well as managing Premier League stars including Joey Barton. 

His twin sons Paul and Jack, both 22, are both Cardiff players and eldest child Mark has also been involved in a number of high-profile transfers including Dimitri Payet’s £10.7million move to West Ham. 

Mark McKay said: ‘I can confirm that when Emiliano made myself and his agent Meissa N’Diaye aware that he wished to travel back to Nantes following his medical and signing on Friday, I began to look into arranging a private flight to take him to Nantes on Saturday morning.’

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Hilary Diana Mackay, 54, appeared in court today to plead not guilty to assaulting the cabin crew on a flight from Johannesburg to Heathrow on December 12. 

Mackay claimed she wanted the ‘non-case’ thrown out because she was ‘practising judo sweeps,’ Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court heard.

She said: ‘I was practising judo sweeps so it wasn’t to target those three people.’

She pleaded not guilty to assaulting Lucey Downey, Leanne Palmer and Phillip Sumner on Virgin Atlantic’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.  

Mackay, from Earl’s Court, London, also had a dressing down by a magistrate after repeatedly interrupting court proceedings.       

An international Finance and Project Manager, she has links to MPs, senior lawyers and accountants.     

Cabin crew on the flight had told her to she must pay an extra £50 charge for sitting in a seat with extra legroom. 

Prosecutor Ms Zara Khan explained: ‘Ms Leanne Palmer has said that: ‘At 10.30 my attention was drawn to a female passenger. The customer had her leg in the isle, looking like she was stretching.

‘She moved it in and then moved it out to deliberately trip me and I grabbed a headrest to break my fall. She made contact by my shin and I believe this was a deliberate attempt to trip me up.’

‘The next complainant Lucey Downey says: ‘A passenger was sitting in an extra legroom seat that costs fifty pounds.’

‘She says Ms Mackay was aggressive towards her and offensive and Ms Mackay stared at her and says she deliberately put her leg into the isle with: ‘Force and anger to trip me up and was successful and I tripped down the isle.’

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