Flybmi, styled as flybmi, legally British Midland Regional Limited and formerly branded as bmi Regional, was a British regional airline that operated scheduled passenger services across the UK and Europe. The head office of the airline was at East Midlands Airport in North West Leicestershire, and it had operating bases at Aberdeen, Brussels, Bristol, East Midlands, Newcastle and Munich.
Flybmi was a former subsidiary of British Midland International (BMI), which was purchased from Lufthansa by International Airlines Group (IAG) on 20 April 2012. Regional was sold to Sector Aviation Holdings in May 2012 and operated as an independent airline from October 2012. In August 2015, the airline became part of a new regional airline group, Airline Investments Limited (AIL), along with Loganair.
Flybmi ceased operations and filed for administration on 16 February 2019.
History
The airline was established in 1987 as Business Air and started operations in August 1987. In 1996 Business Air was purchased by British Midland's parent Airlines of Britain. It operated feeder services for British Midland into Manchester Airport with a fleet of Saab 340 turboprops. The airline became British Midland Commuter in March 1998.
Following the collapse of Debonair in 1999, British Midland Commuter was awarded the contract to operate five BAe 146 aircraft on a wet lease basis for Lufthansa CityLine.
In 2001, parent company British Midland rebranded to 'bmi British Midland' and renamed the commuter division bmi Regional.
As a subsidiary of BMI, BMI Regional was owned by Michael Bishop (50%), Lufthansa (30%) and Scandinavian Airlines (20%). Lufthansa purchased Michael Bishop's and SAS' stakes in October 2009, taking full ownership of the airline group. A restructuring of the group was announced the following month, which also affected Regional's operations. A suspension of loss-making routes and capacity adjustments within the group resulted in Regional having a surplus of three Embraer aircraft in 2010, and the company began consultations with staff over possible job losses. The excess aircraft were leased to other carriers.
The airline was acquired by Sector Aviation Holdings, a company predominantly owned and funded by Stephen and Peter Bond, whose family sold helicopter operator Bond Aviation Group in 2010. Sector Aviation Holdings also included the founders of Regional's predecessor Business Air, Ian Woodley and Graeme Ross. The sale was announced on 1 June 2012.
In 2014 BMI Regional was named the most punctual scheduled airline in the UK for the ninth consecutive year. Based on Civil Aviation Authority statistics, the airline achieved an on-time performance of over 92% in 2013.
On 5 July 2018, bmi Regional rebranded to flybmi.
On the evening of 16 February 2019, Flybmi announced it was to go into administration and would cease operations immediately. All flights were cancelled. In the following days, Loganair (also owned by AIL), announced that it was to take over several of Flybmi's routes from Aberdeen and Newcastle. Ryanair offered rescue fares for stranded customers on some routes and also sought to recruit former Flybmi personnel.
Corporate affairs
Offices
At the end of its existence the head office was at Pegasus Business Park on the grounds of East Midlands Airport in Castle Donington.
Since being founded as Business Air, the company had always had its Operations Control Centre located at Aberdeen. The occupied building was shared with CHC Helicopter which utilises the hangar space for helicopter maintenance and storage for its North Sea fleet. Aircraft maintenance is still carried out at the shared hangar, however all other functions have been moved elsewhere.
Following the purchase of Regional in May 2012, Sector Aviation Holdings took the decision to relocate the company headquarters from Aberdeen to Pegasus Business Park, on the grounds of East Midlands Airport. Whilst a subsidiary, some head office functions were provided by British Midland International at its head office in Donington Hall, Castle Donington.
The registered office was in the Lightyear Building at Glasgow Airport in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. Previously the registered office was at Aberdeen Airport East in Dyce, Aberdeen, Scotland.
Operations
British Midland Regional Limited held a Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, permitting it to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.