Virgin Atlantic vice president to take control of Flybe parent Connect Airways
Connect Airways, the new parent company of regional carrier Flybe, has named its new chief executive.
Mark Anderson, currently Virgin Atlantic executive vice-president – customer, will lead the airline.
Virgin Atlantic is part of the consortium behind Connect Airways, which was set up to acquire Flybe in March. The other partners are Southend Airport parent Stobart Group and investment firm Cyrus Capital Partners.
The takeover still has to be cleared by the European Commission, which is expected to announce its decision next month.
Flybe’s current chief executive Christine Ourmieres-Widener announced last month that she would step down in mid-July.
Prior to joining Virgin Atlantic, Anderson was senior vice president and managing director of Virgin Holidays.
Stobart chief executive Warwick Brady said: "Connect Airways represents a compelling financial and strategic opportunity. Having worked with Mark for some months I am confident he will build a talented team capable of establishing a well-structured, profitable airline. Under Mark’s leadership, we can develop a customer-centric regional connectivity strategy that incorporates London."
Anderson added: "It’s a real privilege and honour for me to take on the leadership of Connect Airways, at this exciting time. We are focused on growing the airline while expanding our franchise business in Dublin, redefining what customers can expect from regional flying in the UK. We have all the building blocks in place: Flybe’s heritage and expertise in running Europe’s largest regional airline; the operational excellence and strength of Stobart Air; and in the near future, the magic of the Virgin brand. I can’t wait to get started with the team."
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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