Virgin Atlantic exec to lead Flybe relaunch

Virgin Atlantic executive Mark Anderson will lead the overhaul of Flybe after being appointed CEO of Connect Airways, the consortium that took over the UK regional airline. Connect Airways, a consortium of Virgin Atlantic, UK-based airline operator Stobart Group and funds managed by US-based Cyrus Capital Partners, acquired Flybe in February after the carrier was hit by high fuel costs, currency fluctuations and uncertainty over Brexit, the UK’s protracted effort to withdraw from the EU. The consortium is awaiting merger clearance from the EC. Flybe CEO Christine Ourmieres-Widener said May 28 that she would step down July 15. On June 12, Connect announced the appointment of Anderson, who was previously Virgin Atlantic’s EVP-customer and before that ran Virgin Holidays. “As the team prepares to launch under a Virgin brand, Mark’s experience and insights from his time at Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays will be invaluable,” Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss said. <br/>