Virgin Claims Flybe in Bargain Rescue of Troubled U.K. Carrier
Virgin Atlantic Leads Rescue Deal for Flybe, Backed by Stobart
(Bloomberg) -- A venture led by Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. scooped up Flybe Group Plc for a penny a share, all but wiping out the value of the British regional carrier hit by dwindling passenger numbers, higher oil prices and uncertainty surrounding Brexit.
Virgin, Cyrus Capital and airport operator Stobart Group Ltd. agreed to purchase Flybe for 2.2 million pounds ($2.8 million), according to a statement Friday. The deal drove shares of the Exeter, England-based carrier down as much as 90 percent to a market value of about 6 million pounds, a fraction of its 215 million-pound capitalization on its trading debut on the London Stock Exchange in 2010.
Flybe will be combined with Stobart Air and operate under the Virgin Atlantic brand, the new owners said. Virgin has been struggling to feed its long-haul flights with passengers from other U.K. cities and Chief Executive Officer Shai Weiss said the deal will help.
Flybe has flights from more than a dozen British cities as well as smaller regional centers such as Norwich and Inverness and European destinations spanning Portugal to Poland.
The demise of Flybe demonstrates the difficulties of turning a profit in the regional aviation market -- a sector of the industry focused on connecting smaller cities. Passenger numbers are limited and the smaller planes used still have significant fixed costs. Flybe had already shrunk its fleet and begun a move to cheaper turboprop aircraft in a bid to strengthen its balance sheet and preserve cash.
Not Alone
Several European carriers have succumbed to the rising cost of fuel. Belgium’s VLM announced its liquidation in August, when Switzerland’s Skywork Airlines AG also ceased flights. The German arm of Small Planet filed for insolvency in September, with Azur Air halting operations in the country, and Nordic leisure carrier Primera Air collapsed on Oct. 1.
The new Flybe owners said they would provide 20 million pounds of bridge loans and inject as much as 80 million pounds to support growth. The carrier will be purchased via Connect Airways, in which Virgin and Stobart each have 30 percent stakes, with the balance held by Cyrus.
Founded in 1979 as Jersey European Airways after the island in the English Channel to which it flew, the company was renamed British European in 2000. It took on its current identity two years later after switching to a low-cost strategy.
Flybe acquired British Airways’ BA Connect unit for 521 million pounds in 2006, adding more than 50 routes and doubling the number of customers to become No. 1 in Europe’s regional market. Following the 2010 share sale, the family trust of the late steel tycoon Jack Walker owned 49.6 percent of the stock.
Barclays Plc advised Stobart Group and the consortium on the deal, while Rothschild & Co. advised Virgin Atlantic and Evercore was with Flybe.
To contact the reporter on this story: Christopher Jasper in London at cjasper@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net, Tara Patel, Frank Connelly
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