Dave Pflieger, a US airline executive, joins from his former role of president and chief executive of Ravn Air Group, a regional airline in Alaska. Ravn Air sought bankruptcy protection in April 2020 due to the pandemic but relaunched in August that year as Ravn Alaska.

Pflieger has held senior roles at seven airlines, including Delta and Virgin America and led the rebranding of Fiji Airways.

He said: “I am extremely excited to be leading such a great new team. The last 12 months have been intensely busy for all of us here, but it has been very rewarding to know that we are soon going to launch a new, better and stronger company that will build upon a respected and well-known brand, create valuable industry jobs, and once again play a critical role in connecting regions and communities across the UK.”

The original Flybe collapsed in March 2020. The business and assets of the former brand, minus its debts, were sold to a group of investors, now known as Flybe Limited, in April this year.

Backers include former Tui Airways director Kevin Hatton, who is now Flybe chairman.

Hatton said: ““We are extremely fortunate to have someone with Dave’s skills and track record of success leading our new airline as it gets ready to start operations and serve key regions in the UK and EU.”