Flybe CEO quits following sale to Connect Airways
Flybe CEO Christine Ourmieres-Widener has decided to leave the airline on July 15.
The business was sold to Connect Airways, a consortium led by Virgin Atlantic, earlier this year.
In a statement, Flybe director Jonathan Peachey said: "On behalf of the entire Flybe Board, I want to extend my gratitude to Christine Ourmieres-Widener for her commitment and significant contributions to Flybe.
"This includes her tireless efforts to safeguard the future for the customers and communities who rely on Flybe, as well as the company’s employees, its pension fund members and its creditors. We all wish Christine the very best for the future."
Ourmieres-Widener said it had been ‘a privilege’ to lead Flybe over the past two years, and to work with ‘an outstanding and dedicated team of professionals’.
"Together, we have been able to secure the jobs of our loyal Flybe employees with the sale to Connect Airways and provide our customers and the UK with the vital transport and travel infrastructure they rely on, while preparing Flybe for a bright future under its new ownership," she said.
The airline said it expects to be in a position to announce a successor before Ourmieres-Widener’s departure to ensure a smooth handover.
Last year she became the only female member on the board of the international airline body, IATA. She is also a former vice-president and current Board member at the European Regions Airline Association.
Her career in the industry spans 30 years, having started as an engineer with Air France in 1988 before becoming the airline’s UK and Ireland general manager and ultimately a VP based in New York.
After leaving Air France she was appointed chief executive of CityJet between 2010 and 2015, before a two-year stint as chief global sales officer for American Express Global Business Travel.
She was appointed Flybe CEO in January 2017 to lead the airline through a turnaround following several years of low profitability.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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