High demand for FlyGlobespan artefacts

It is close to a decade since it went into administration, cancelling all flights overnight. But memorabilia from Scottish airline FlyGlobespan is still for sale on eBay from sellers from all over the globe.

FlyGlobespan was headed by chief executive Rick Green before it ceased operations on 16 December 2009. Now its memorabilia is in demand on eBay. Picture: Jane Barlow

A timetable for the Edinburgh-based airline’s Scottish routes is up for sale for £3.81 and a bundle of safety cards for £20, while a wooden “hand painted” model of a FlyGlobespan-liveried plane is on sale for £171 from the Philippines.

It emerged earlier this month that staff from recently defunct airline Monarch are selling off their uniforms and other items after the collapse of the carrier in October.

The airline, which had its headquarters in Edinburgh and eventually ran a route network from Scottish airports which included long- haul flights to the United States and Canada, declared bankruptcy in December 2009, after six years in operation.

A wooden model of a FlyGlobespan-liveried plane is on sale from the Philippines.

A FlyGlobespan Scotland flight timetable from 2007 is described as having “VG light corner and edge wear” and is on sale for £3.81 on eBay while a collection of four sets of safety instructions for a 757-200, 737-800, 737-700 and a 737-600 are up for sale for £20 as a bundle and one safety card is on offer from a separate seller for £11.35.

Leigh Sparks, professor of retail studies at the University of Stirling, said: “The idea of people hoarding stuff has been going on for quite some time, but is now much more visible because of technology. There may also be some people who collect FlyGlobespan memorabilia because they have some memories or connections to the airline.”

Daniel Wade, spokesman for Paul Fraser Collectibles, said FlyGlobespan memorabilia was unlikely to reach the heights of collectibles from “the golden age of air travel”, where Wedgwood plates used by bigger defunct airlines such as PanAm can sell for up to £750.

He said: “The driving-force behind the strong prices for the airline’s past is scarcity. FlyGlobespan had a tiny fleet and operated for just a short time. Which means comparatively few pieces of its ephemera have survived.”

FlyGlobespan, which was headed by chief executive Rick Green, ceased operations on 16 December, 2009 after financial problems.