flybe.'s new owner applies for an Operator's Licence

Canada's Conair Aviation buys 11 Q400s for firefighting ops

Conair Aviation (FGD, Abbotsford) has bought eleven DHC-8-Q400s from Hamburger EmissionsHaus, in a transaction facilitated by Skyworld Aviation. The airline will now convert the turboprops into DHC-8-Q400(AT) firefighting variants.

"After more than a decade of research and development, Conair’s answer to the future of aerial firefighting is the Q400AT, the most advanced airtanker in the world today. The purchase marks the most significant investment Conair has made to date towards developing a fleet of Next Generation aircraft designed to better fight wildfires for years to come," the Canadian special mission operator said in a press release.

"We evaluated 29 aircraft before selecting the Q400 for modification into an aerial firefighting tool. The unanimous opinion of our flight operations experts was that the Q400 exceeds all the Next Generation performance criteria within a manoeuvrable and stable platform. The Q400AT is fast, fuel-efficient, and tactically flexible, operating both initial attack as well as sustained support actions," Director of Business Development at Conair Jeff Berry added.

The 11 turboprops were previously operated by flybe....

Editorial Comment: Corrected the fleet summary for Hamburger EmissionsHaus from two E170s to two E175s. - 19.01.2021 - 06:51 UTC

Ghana's PassionAir secures first Dash 8-300

Virgin Atlantic ready to partner flybe. after restart

Virgin Atlantic (VS, London Heathrow) would be interested in partnering with flybe. (BE, Exeter) if the regional airline restarts under new ownership, but will not invest any capital in that cooperation over the next dozen months, Chief Executive Shai Weiss said during a CAPA Live event.

"We’re an interested party because we have a residual interest in that business. We welcome the opportunity to flybe. to resurrect itself yet again and to serve the various regions in the UK," he said.

However, he stressed that over the next 18 months or so, Virgin Atlantic would focus on cash positive actions to ensure the airline is well-positioned when the market rebounds after the pandemic.

"In the longer term we’ll re-evaluate to see where things are - whether Flybe is around under a new lease of life or whether we needed to do something ourselves," Weiss said.

Virgin Atlantic held a 30% share in Connect Airways, a consortium which bought flybe. in February 2019. Other members included Stobart Group and Cyrus...

Cyrus Capital unit buys flybe. brand, eyes 2021 restart

Thyme Opco, a company affiliated to Cyrus Capital, has acquired the brand and the remaining assets of flybe. (BE, Exeter) and plans to revive the carrier as an "essential regional connectivity" provider, administrator EY said in a press release distributed to the British media.

The value of the transaction was not disclosed. It was still subject to certain confidential conditions.

flybe.'s remaining assets were purely non-aviation and consisted of office equipment and the like, as well as intellectual property. The carrier's Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) was voluntarily suspended but remains valid. The carrier's Operating Licence (OL) also remains valid - while the UK Civil Aviation Authority initially suggested it would revoke it in April, it subsequently withdrew this intention in July 2020 and did not revoke the document.

Thyme Opco said that while it was seeking to revive flybe., the carrier would be smaller than before its collapse. Still, the investor plans "to create valuable airline industry jobs, restore essential regional connectivity in the UK and contribute to the recovery of a vital part of...

Editorial Comment: The article was corrected to reflect that flybe. retains a valid Operating Licence besides its AOC. - 26.10.2020 - 07:18 UTC