Flybe (pronounced ), styled as flybe, was a British airline based in Exeter, England. Launched in 1979 as Jersey European Airways, and rebranded flybe in 2002, at various points it was the largest independent regional airline in Europe, and provided more than half of the UK domestic flights outside of London.
Jersey European Airways (UK) Ltd. (JEA) was formed on 1 November 1979 after the merger of both Intra Airways and Express Air Services passenger scheduled operations. In 1983, JEA was sold to Walkersteel, which also owned Spacegrand Aviation; the two airlines were merged under the Jersey European name during 1985. The airline experienced significant growth during the 1990s. It was renamed British European Airways Ltd. on 1 June 2000 and rebranded flybe in 2002. On 3 November 2006, it was announced that Flybe was in the process of purchasing BA Connect. With the sale (assets and operations on 5 Mar 2007, operations on 25 Mar 2007), the airline became the largest regional airline in Europe. On 10 December 2010, the company was floated in an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange.
In February 2019, the airline was sold to the Connect Airways consortium, backed by Virgin Atlantic and Stobart Aviation. Connect Airways intended Flybe and Stobart Air to then rebrand as Virgin Connect, although they would have retained their own air operator certificates. On 5 March 2020, British European filed for administration and ceased operations. The airline, which had been struggling for several months, claimed that its difficulties were compounded by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on bookings.
In October 2020, Thyme Opco, a company linked to former shareholder Cyrus Capital, agreed with the administrators to purchase the flybe brand and relaunch the airline in 2021, subject to regulatory approvals. In April 2021, a new company named Flybe Limited, obtained an operating licence, route licences, and airport slots; the first flight took place on 13 April 2022. The relaunched airline ceased trading on 28 January 2023.
Contents
History
Early years
The airline started operations on 1 November 1979 as Jersey European Airways Ltd. as a result of a merger of the Intra Airways (from Jersey) and Express Air Services (based in Bournemouth) passenger scheduled operations. It was founded by John Habin, a resident of Jersey and the majority investor. After selling Aviation Beauport and other business interests, Habin invested in the firm so that it could establish several routes from Jersey Airport to major airports in the UK. At the beginning it was an Air Bridge Carriers subsidiary. On 1 July 1980 it merged the operations of Haywards Aviation Ltd. Initially equipped with an aging fleet of war-surplus Douglas DC-3 aircraft, Jersey European Airways gradually bought with more modern regional airliners.
In November 1983, Habin sold his stake in Jersey European Airways to Jack Walker's Walker Steel Group, which already owned Spacegrand Aviation Services Ltd. based in Blackpool. Initially, the two airlines were run separately although they partially shared management; Exeter Airport served as a critical hub, forming a meeting point between the two companies' route networks. On 26 October 1985, both airlines were amalgamated under the Jersey European name; the combined entity's headquarters was established in Exeter. From 1984 the airline operated with British Caledonian Commuter brand on some routes. In 1985, Jersey European Airways carried 160,000 passengers and achieved an annual revenue of just under £9 million.
During 1990, Jersey European Airways' passenger count rose to 460,000, being 40 percent greater than the previous year. During 1991, the airline commenced its first route to London, flying between Guernsey and London Gatwick. In 1993, it received the first of its British Aerospace 146 aircraft, a four-engined jet-powered regional aircraft. That same year, the airline introduced a business class service aboard some aircraft. Around that time, the Exeter hub was supplemented by connections in both London and Birmingham. By 1995, Jersey European Airways was again expanding after incurring minor losses during the prior year.
In mid-1997, Jersey European Airways announced that it had achieved record results in its previous financial year amid a boom in Europe's regional airlines market; in the same year, the firm secured a franchise arrangement with Air France covering routes from London Heathrow to Toulouse and Lyon, expanded its fleet to provide 32% more seat capacity, and recorded a 27% increase in sales while profits had risen by nearly a third to reach £3.4 million. That same year, the airline, which operated a mixed fleet of 12 British Aerospace 146s, four Fokker F27s and two Short 360s was in the process of leasing additional BAe 146s to cater for expansion. Jim French, Jersey European's deputy chief executive, announced that the company was performing detailed studies with the aim of introducing larger airliners in the 150- to 170-seat class, such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families.
2000–2010
In June 2000, the airline announced that it had been renamed British European Airways Ltd.; according to a company spokesperson, that was due to the Jersey European Airways name no longer being an accurate reflection of the scope of the routes which were covered. The name was soon shortened to simply Flybe on 18 July 2002 and the airline repositioned itself as a full-service, low-fare airline. Various pricing and product changes were made in line with this position such as discounted one-way tickets, the abolition of overbooking practices, a customer charter of the airline's service standards, as well as compensation for delays.
In June 2005, it was announced that Flybe would procure a fleet of 26 Embraer E-195 regional airliners; it would claim that it had opted for the 118-seat E-195 over rival 150-seat aircraft due to economics and performance benefits. Flybe would serve as the launch customer for the E-195, receiving the first example of the type during the later half of 2006. Initially, the E-195 fleet were assigned to the airline's high-volume trunk routes, but the firm later planned to use it on new routes to expand their network. Further E-195s would be ordered by the airline over the following decade, the type making up a major proportion of Flybe's fleet.
On 3 November 2006, it was announced that Flybe would buy BA Connect, except for that airline's services out of London City Airport. During March 2007, this takeover was completed; as a consequence of the BA Connect takeover, the ownership of Flybe was divided between Rosedale Aviation Holdings (69%), Flybe staff (16%) and the International Airlines Group (15%). The acquisition increased Flybe's route network in both the UK and continental Europe, making Flybe Europe's largest regional airline. On 14 January 2008, it was announced that Flybe had signed a franchise agreement with Scottish airline Loganair, to commence on 26 October 2008 following the termination of Loganair's franchise agreement with British Airways on 25 October 2008. The agreement would see Loganair aircraft flying in Flybe colours on 55 routes from Scotland. In 2008, in order to avoid losing a £280,000 rebate from Norwich Airport, Flybe advertised for "actors", as well as offering free return flights to Dublin on its website. As a result, the environmental group Friends of the Earth called on the government to launch an investigation into the aviation industry.
Chief Executive Officer Jim French was recognised in the 2009 Queen's Birthday Honours List with a CBE for his services to the airline industry. On 10 December 2010, Flybe floated in an IPO on the London Stock Exchange, with trading in shares commencing on the same day. Full public release of shares followed on 15 December 2010. The share price was set at 295p, valuing the company at approximately £215 million, and raising £66 million for the company, half of which was to pay for fleet expansion.
2011–2020
On 23 May 2013, it was reported that Flybe had sold its slots at Gatwick Airport to EasyJet for £20 million, and that the slots would be handed over to EasyJet on 29 March 2014. CEO and chairman Jim French retired in August 2013, leaving the post of CEO to Saad Hammad, formerly of EasyJet, while Simon Laffin became chairman. By November 2013, Hammad had shaken up the operation, requesting the resignations of three top managers within six weeks of his arrival. Out of 158 routes flown at the time, over 60 did not cover their direct operating expenses and the costs of crew and aircraft.
On 23 April 2014, Flybe announced that it would launch domestic and international flights from London City Airport from 27 October 2014 after signing a five-year deal with the airport. The airline was expecting to carry around 500,000 passengers a year, with all five allocated aircraft being based around the Flybe network overnight. In March 2014, it was announced that Flybe would undergo a major brand refresh. This new scheme included a new purple aircraft livery, new interior features and new uniforms. During June 2014, British Airways sold most of its remaining stake in the airline; it had already been reduced to 5% by share issues.
In early 2016, it was announced that Flybe had negotiated a six-year agreement with SAS Scandinavian Airlines to fly 4 ATR 72–9 aircraft on their behalf, starting in October 2016. On 4 March 2015, Flybe announced new routes from Cardiff Airport bringing the number of routes to eleven. Flybe also stated their intention to create a new base at Cardiff Airport in summer 2015, initially basing two Embraer 195 aircraft there, which subsequently increased to three. On 10 November 2015, Flybe announced that it would base two Embraer 195 aircraft at Doncaster Sheffield Airport in South Yorkshire, starting new routes to Amsterdam, Berlin Tegel, Paris Charles de Gaulle (Paris CDG), Jersey, Alicante Airport, Málaga, Faro, Portugal and Newquay as of 27 March 2016. The announcement came on the same day that Flybe announced they would be pulling flights from Bournemouth Airport in England. Dublin Airport was added in October 2016, taking over where Stobart Air left. On 26 October 2016, it was announced that Hammad would be standing down as CEO with immediate effect and consequently, Flybe was beginning the process of finding a replacement. On 21 November 2016, Flybe announced it would open its first European base at Düsseldorf Airport in Germany. In February 2017 that commenced with two aircraft alongside 60 pilots, cabin crew and engineers. On 22 December 2016, Flybe started selling flights for 12 further destinations from Southend Airport in London in an extension to their existing franchise operation with Stobart Air.
Relaunch
On 19 October 2020, reports emerged that Lucien Farrell, in charge of former shareholder Cyrus Capital's London office, had formed a new company, Thyme Opco, to purchase the Flybe brand and relaunch the airline, subject to regulatory approvals. The new owner planned to "start small and restore regional connectivity in the UK" from 2021. On 1 December 2020, Thyme Opco applied for a UK operating licence.
Thyme Opco also registered a 21-year-old Q400, which was expected to be the first aircraft for the 'new Flybe'; since then the jet was acquired by PAL Airlines, a regional airline in Eastern Canada. In April 2021, the British CAA granted the new airline an operating licence as well as Type A and B route licences, enabling the carrier to operate both charter and scheduled services. The new company also obtained 86 slots at Heathrow for the summer 2021 season, to be used for flights to Edinburgh and Aberdeen, but the airline was not relaunched in time to use these slots.
The 'original' Flybe company was renamed FBE Realisations 2021 Limited, with Thyme Opco Limited becoming Flybe Limited. On 3 June 2021, the operating licence for the original company was revoked following an unsuccessful appeal to the Transport Secretary. Despite initial beliefs that its legacy slots at UK airports had returned to the slot coordinator, that was shown not to be the case by coordinator ACL. The new operating company also leased Heathrow slots from British Airways for routes to Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
On 26 October 2021, the new Flybe Limited confirmed that it had appointed David Pflieger as its chief executive. That closely followed the appearance of an ex-Flybe Q400, registered as G-JECX, which had been painted with a new purple-and-white livery. In November 2021, the airline announced that it had picked Birmingham Airport as its new base, with operations scheduled to begin in early 2022 to "key regions across the UK and EU". On 16 March 2022, Flybe announced that it would start ticket sales the following week, and that Belfast would be the airline's second operating base. The company slogan was "Smile and go the extra mile." On 22 March the company's website opened for bookings; the first flight took place on 13 April 2022.
On 28 January 2023, Flybe entered administration and ceased all operations. On 18 March 2024, administration of the original Flybe (FBE Realisations 2021 Limited) ceased and the company was dissolved.
Corporate affairs
Ownership and structure
The former owner, Flybe Group plc, was a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: FLYB). Until November 2013, the main shareholder, with 48.1% of the shares, was Rosedale Aviation Holdings Limited, the corporate representative of the trustee of the Jack Walker 1987 Settlement, which was established by the late Jack Walker, who was involved in Flybe's early development.
In the UK, Flybe's largest base was at Birmingham Airport; the airline had other large bases at Belfast City, Manchester and Southampton airports, with a total of 14 crew and aircraft who were based across the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. The airline held a Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence permitting it to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats. The Flybe Group included Flybe Aviation Services (engineering and maintenance), Flybe Training Academy (engineering and flight crew training), Flybe UK (airline operations) and Flybe Europe, the holding company for all European operations, which previously consisted of Flybe Nordic.
Business trends
Trends for Flybe Group during the period 2007–2018 are shown below (as at year ending 31 March):
Joint ventures and franchises
Loganair, a Scottish airline, was the first franchise partner for Flybe and operated a number of flights in Scotland and Ireland under a franchise agreement from 2008. Loganair aircraft wore the full Flybe livery during the time of the franchise. In 2016, it was announced that the agreement was to end on 31 August 2017 at which time Loganair would become an independent carrier.
In 2014, Flybe signed their second franchise agreement with Stobart Air, and initially started operating European routes from Southend Airport. In 2015, Stobart Air began operating more flights on behalf of Flybe from Ronaldsway Airport, Isle of Man using two ATR 72. In 2017, Flybe and Stobart Air began operating additional services from Southend Airport using Flybe Embraer 195 jet aircraft.
On 11 January 2016, Flybe announced its third franchise deal with the Jersey based airline, Blue Islands. Now all Blue Islands flights operated under the Flybe name, and the Blue Islands aircraft livery was replaced with the current Flybe livery from May 2016. However the deal was under investigation and was reported to potentially break local competition laws.
From 1 September 2017, Eastern Airways became a new franchise partner for Flybe taking over routes previously operated by Loganair from Aberdeen Airport, Glasgow Airport and Edinburgh Airport. That meant both Flybe and Loganair were now in direct competition with each other. In January 2018, services to Sumburgh were being withdrawn, owing to the competition with Loganair and the route being unable to sustain two carriers. It was announced that Loganair was withdrawing services from Glasgow to Manchester leaving Flybe as the sole operator on that route.
Flybe purchased Finncomm Airlines with Finnair of Finland in July 2011, and on 30 October 2011 rebranded the airline as Flybe Nordic. The joint venture operated its own routes along with franchise routes under a codeshare agreement for Finnair, operating under Flybe's BE-code. Flybe agreed to sell its 60% stake in Flybe Nordic in November 2014 for €1, in an attempt to reduce group costs. On 1 May 2015, Flybe Nordic began operating solely for Finnair as it was no longer a part of Flybe. Flybe Nordic is now known as Nordic Regional Airlines – Norra.
Sponsorship
Flybe was the main sponsor of Exeter City Football Club and also sponsored the Exeter Chiefs with their branding featured on both teams' shirts. Flybe had also sponsored the ITV Weather forecasts on ITV Channel Television, ITV Cymru Wales, ITV Meridian, ITV West Country, STV, UTV, and the sport sections of the Manchester Evening News, the Express & Echo (Exeter), the South Wales Echo (Cardiff), the Isle of Man Courier and the Isle of Man Examiner.
Flybe had previously sponsored Birmingham City (2003–2007), Norwich City (2006–2008), Southampton (2006–2010), and Inverness Caledonian Thistle (2007–2010).
Services
Flybe used the Avios frequent-flyer program until 30 April 2019, when Flybe and Avios ended their partnership and all accounts were closed. The programme is operated by the IAG subsidiary Avios Group.
Flybe's cabin interiors were configured with a single-class all-economy layout. It operated an allocated seating policy on its flights. Passengers had the option to choose a specific seat of their choice online in advance for a fee or have one allocated free of charge during online check-in or at the airport check-in. The airline operated a buy on board programme, called "Café Flybe", offering food and drinks for purchase. On most flights to and from the Channel Islands a selection of duty free spirits and tobacco items was also available for purchase.
Passengers had the option of three ticket types, "Just Fly", "Get More" and "All In".
"Just Fly" was the most basic ticket type, with just the flight included and extra options available to add for an additional fee.
"Get More" ticket holders were able to reserve a seat and take a 23 kg hold bag.
"All In" ticket holders received a complimentary drink and snack, access to Flybe Executive Lounges, free pre-booked seating, priority check-in, and two hold bags.
Destinations
Flybe provided short haul services to destinations throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, and continental Europe.
Former partnerships and codeshare agreements
Flybe formerly had codeshares with the following airlines under the 'One Stop to the World' programme:
The airline also had franchise agreements with the following airlines:
Interline agreement
Flybe had an interline agreement with Pakistan International Airlines
Fleet
Before ceasing operations, these were the aircraft in the Flybe fleet:
Fleet strategy and developments
Flybe retired its final Embraer 195 in February 2020, which was returned to lessors once it was retired. It had said that the Q400 would be the backbone of its fleet going forward.
Flybe became the world's largest operator of the Dash 8 Q400 after it added 24 planes leased from Republic Airways, a US regional airline, in 2014. In May 2007, the airline signed a deal with Bombardier, an aircraft manufacturer in Montreal, Canada for a further 15 Q400 aircraft valued at US$394 million (£197 million), with options for a further 15, increasing its fleet of the type to 60. In September 2014, Republic Airways agreed to lease 24 of their Q400 aircraft to Flybe with delivery over two years starting from March 2018. In June 2017, Flybe announced that due to a loss of near to £20 million, it would retire six Q400 aircraft in 2017.
When Flybe collapsed in March 2020 its 54 Dash 8 Q400s were placed into storage. In January 2021, aerial firefighting airline specialist Conair Group in Abbotsford, British Columbia in Canada announced that it had purchased 11 of Flybe's Q400 for conversion into water bombers and multi-role firefighting aircraft.
On 20 July 2010, Flybe placed an order for 35 Embraer 175 aircraft worth US$1.3 billion (£850 million), with options for 65 more (value $2.3 billion/£1.5 billion) and purchase rights for a further 40 (value $1.4 billion/£0.9 billion). The 88-seat aircraft was originally planned to be delivered between July 2011 and March 2017; with the first two aircraft arriving in November 2011.
In 2020 Flybe's nine E175s were transferred to various lessors when they collapsed. Six of the new aircraft which had been acquired went to a company in Bermuda called Flybe Leasing, with one, G-FBJK, going to Republic Airways, and is currently used for spare parts.
The airline placed an order for 14 Embraer 195 aircraft in June 2005, plus options on an additional 12 aircraft, making it the type's worldwide launch customer. In the same month, four existing Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 options were converted into firm orders; after delivery its fleet of Q400s numbered 45. Flybe received its first 118-seat Embraer 195 in September 2006, and the aircraft began to replace its existing BAe 146s, completing the fleet rationalisation which was started in 2003. The E-195s were fitted with a head-up guidance system (HGS) and configured to offer single-class service.
Historical fleet
Flybe previously operated the following aircraft:
Accidents and incidents
On 23 February 2017 a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 registered G-JECP from Edinburgh to Amsterdam suffered a collapse of the right main gear upon landing at Schiphol Airport resulting in severe damage to the aircraft. Damage was found to the lower fuselage structure, right-hand outboard wing tip and nose landing gear along with damage to the right-hand fuselage caused by fragments from the right (#2) engine and debris and gravel from the runway. After the aircraft came to a stop, the crew declared a Mayday and initiated an evacuation of the aircraft. The accident was caused by deformation in the right-hand landing-gear yoke causing the landing gear to be in the down but unlocked position while the gear position indicator in the cockpit displayed three green lights falsely indicating to the crew the gear was in a down and locked position. The Dutch Safety Board made several recommendations to Bombardier, Flybe and the landing gear manufacturer.
On 10 November 2017 a Flybe De Havilland Canada Dash 8 suffered a nose gear failure after takeoff from Belfast City Airport to Inverness Airport, diverting to Belfast International Airport and partially landing on its nose. The underside of the nose, forward pressure bulkhead, and the nose gear as well as its doors were damaged and there were two injuries. The accident was caused by a faulty sensor causing the doors to close onto the gear while it retracted. Flybe inspected their entire fleet. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch noted the aircraft and landing gear manufacturers were already working on a revised design prior to the accident.