Connect Airways, a consortium that includes Virgin Atlantic,
has completed its acquisition of U.K. regional carrier Flybe.
"Flybe flights continue to operate as normal," the
airline said in a statement Friday.
Connect Airways is comprised of Virgin Atlantic, Cyrus
Capital and Stobart Aviation.
The Flybe brand will eventually go away, with operations
adopting the Virgin Atlantic brand. Virgin Altantic plans to connect its long-haul
network of mostly transatlantic flights to Flybe's extensive European regional
network.
Flybe says that it flies to 81 airports in the U.K. and
Europe. Its fortunes plummeted last year amid high fuel prices, currency
fluctuations and operational uncertainties caused by the U.K.'s planned
departure from the European Union.
Connect Airways entered into the acquisition agreement with
Flybe in January.