Hundreds stranded as British airline Flybmi collapses

LONDON – Hundreds of passengers have been stranded by the abrupt collapse of the British regional airline Flybmi.

The airline said it's filing for administration — a British version of bankruptcy — because of higher fuel costs and uncertainty caused by Britain's upcoming departure from the European Union.

The airline operated 17 jets on routes to 25 European cities. It employed 376 people in Britain, Germany, Sweden and Belgium.

The airline said all flights will be cancelled and advised passengers to seek refunds from credit card issuers, travel agents or travel insurance companies.

Thanking workers for their dedication, the airline said "it is with a heavy heart that we have made this unavoidable announcement."

Flybmi says it carried 522,000 passengers on 29,000 flights last year.