SOUTHAMPTON Airport is fighting for its future and it will be “significantly restructured” after the collapse of Flybe.

The airline firm fell into administration last week, putting more than 2,000 jobs at risk.

The news had since improved for Southampton Airport, which had announced that Loganair would be taking over some of Flybe's routes.

But airport managing director Neil Garwood has now written to staff and explained that the future shape and structure of the company will be very different to what it is now.

He said the collapse of Flybe and coronavirus have caused serious problems for the airport.

The letter to staff says: “You don’t need me to tell you that the world has changed completely for us following the sad demise of Flybe last week.

"Whilst we have some welcome news of backfill coming through, this will unfortunately not be sufficient to prevent significant restructuring across every organisation involved with the airport, including our own.

“Our priority is to keep the airport open, and we just cannot withstand such huge change without making changes in response.

"Our passenger numbers, including the backfill we have secured so far, are now around half what they were forecast to be for 2020; and, crucially for our profitability, in the current market airlines are in a position to pay us far less to operate than we’ve seen historically.

“It is so significant across the AGS group that our financial position is very threatened. The future shape and structure of our company will be very different to what it is now, in order to ensure the airport survives.”

This comes after Flybe announced its administration in the early hours of March 5, which previously accounted for 95% of flights at the airport.

However, despite the imminent restructure, airport bosses ensure that this does not "in any way” affect the runway extension plans.

A spokesperson said: “[The plans] continue unaffected and are progressing.

“At the current time, and following the loss of Flybe, we are looking at the future shape of the organisation, ensuring that we have the right staff in the right places."

“We are continuing to progress with backfilling services and hope to have more route announcements in coming days to meet the demand of our passengers.”

Eastleigh MP, Paul Holmes has said that the airport is "vital for the local economy" and that he is working to secure its future.