Hungary's Wizz Air and Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus have followed easyJet and Ryanair in calling on Flybe crew to apply for jobs at their airlines.
Emerald Airlines chief executive Conor McCarthy said on January 30 that the carrier, which is the regional operator for Aer Lingus, "will be actively engaged in interviewing candidates over the next week", including at recruitment events in Belfast on February 2 and 3.
"We know how distressing this situation [at Flybe] must be for all concerned, and our hearts go out to those who have lost their jobs over the weekend,” McCarthy said, adding that Emerald would adding 15,000 seats to flights out of Belfast City Airport to try fill some of the gap left by the collapse of Flybe on January 28.
Wizz Air said on January 29 it would run recruitment events in Birmingham aimed at pilots and other crew at the now-defunct Flybe, with the first to take place on January 30.
“We are saddened to hear the news about Flybe and understand the anxiety employees must be feeling at this time. In response to the news, we have organised special recruitment events for all Flybe cabin crew and pilots to learn more about the opportunities we have to offer," said Marion Geoffrey, managing director of Wizz's UK wing.
The announcements came after low-cost rivals easyJet and Ryanair made statements encouraging Flybe staff to check their websites for vacancies.