FLYBE, the airline owned by Blackburn's Walker family, has bought part of British Airways - doubling its passengers from five to 10 million.

The firm has reached an agreement with BA to acquire the struggling no-frills BA Connect regional airline business.

The move will see Flybe, owned by the family of late Blackburn Rovers benefactor Jack Walker, grow to operate 159 routes - up from 101 - from 22 UK and 35 European airports.

This will make Flybe the largest UK airline operating from regional airports.

British Airways will keep a 15 per cent stake in the business, and has pledged to make sure it has enough funding to keep on growing.

BA recently reported a drop in profits after it was forced to de-value BA Connect by £106million. BA Connect had reported an operating loss of £6million for the first six months of the year.

Jim French, chairman and chief executive of Flybe, said: "Through this acquisition we are seeking to build a bigger, stronger and even more defensible Flybe.

"This will allow further opportunities to develop routes, encourage further business to the area and see the Leeds-Bradford hub go from strength to strength.

"The Flybe business model concentrates on domestic and European city markets and has been incredibly successful over the last four years.

"This acquisition will allow us to bring our growth plans forward by two years."

He added: "This acquisition will make Flybe the largest regional airline in Europe and one of the largest in the UK by any measurement. Across Europe more consumers will benefit from Flybe's efficient and friendly service at a price, which provides outstanding value."

The acquisition comes as Flybe announced its strongest ever summer trading, with an operating profit of £20.5million for the six months up to September 30 - up from £12.4m last year.

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