UK regional Flybe has completed acquisition of much of Manchester-based British Airways subsidiary BA Connect, receiving the business and some £130 million ($250 million) in exchange for granting British Airways a 15-percent stake in the enlarged operation. As it restructures the new grouping, Flybe will buy more Bombardier Q400 turboprops and Embraer E195s, said the Exeter-based low-fare regional.
BA Connect, which has not made a profit for five years and suffered a £6 million ($11.6 million) operating loss in the six months leading up to last September 30, constituted the remains of Brymon Airways, British Regional Air Lines and British Airways Regional. Known as BA CitiExpress until February of last year, it consisted of BA’s non-London Heathrow/London Gatwick operations, but the deal excluded its London City operation (including nine BAe Avro RJ100s and now to be re-branded BA CityFlyer under a new air operator’s certificate) and Manchester-New York service.
