DEBONAIR chairman and chief executive Franco Mancassola has blamed Go for the collapse of his airline earlier this month.
Speaking in public for the first time since Debonair was grounded, Mancassola said that Go is an ‘artificial’ low-cost airline due to the fact it has the wealth of British Airways behind it.
He told the European Regional Airline conference: “I believe in competition and I admire EasyJet. What the company has achieved, it has earned.
“What is not fair is having a parent company that will benefit from the downfall of another airline.”
Mancassola pointed out that Go didn’t face many of the start-up problems of other newcomers.
A Go spokesman said BA had given it £25m to set up and there was no ongoing subsidy from the airline. He said Ryanair had proved low-cost carriers could succeed by announcing record profits.
Despite describing the market as unfair, Mancassola said he will make a return to the industry.