The Canadian budget airline Flair is said to be in the very bring of failure after a number of its aircraft were repossessed for non-payment of leases over the weekend and another is due to go at the end of the day.
Four of the carrier's Boeing 737 MAX jets were grounded by lessors Airborne Capital after the airline ran behind in lease payments with hundreds of passengers' travel plans left in tatters.
Flair's bullish boss Stephen Jones rather than taking responsibility for the issues and doing all he can to resolve them has started to launch unsubstantiated attacks on almost everyone else. He told local media that Airborne Capital was conspiring with one of the other major Canadian airlines to against Flair and overcharging them for aircraft.
Jones said: “We have come in and upset the cozy duopoly, and as a consequence people want us out of business,” said Jones. “We do believe there were negotiations going on behind the scenes between one of the majors and the lessor to, you know, hurt Flair by offering above-market rates for the aircraft we have been leasing.”
He also believes the impounding of aircraft was due to more than just nonpayment of leases, "There are airlines out there that don’t want Flair to exist, and it doesn’t surprise me. We are a challenger to the status quo."
Flair has contracted in three replacement aircraft to help mitigate this mangled schedule and mass disruption to passengers, however at this stage, it is unclear how long these aircraft will be operating for the airline or how the carrier can afford to pay for the leases of the aircraft in the long-term.
An ex-Flair employee told us the carrier was on the 'brink of survival' as moral at the airline was at 'an all time low'.
Air Canada told CTV that it "has not spoken to any of the lessors nor have they come to Air Canada offering their aircraft."
How many other companies supplying services or equipment to Flair Airlines haven't been paid on time or are still waiting to be paid for previous work?
WestJet and Airborne Capital have been approached for comment.