Following the news that airline Flybe has gone into administration, the UK’s largest rail operator FirstGroup will offer a free ticket on its trains to all Flybe customers intending to travel today.

FirstGroup’s rail companies comprise Avanti West Coast; Great Western Railway; South Western Railway; TransPennine Express and Hull Trains.

First Rail managing director Steve Montgomery said: “Our rail services connect people and communities up and down the country and as a gesture of goodwill we want to ensure that anyone who was due to travel on Flybe’s grounded flights today can still complete their journey.”

Customers will need to provide a boarding pass or other valid proof of booking for a flight today.

They should show this to employees at the station ticket office where they begin their journey and will be given a complimentary standard class ticket to their original flight destination, via any reasonable route.

Flybe employees should show staff ID to take up the same offer.

Flybe carried about eight million passengers a year between 71 airports across the UK and Europe.

The collapse could leave thousands of people stranded across the UK and Europe.

The company also has around 2,000 staff who have lost their jobs.