Flybe CFO resigns, three board members step down

Europe's largest regional airline Flybe Group Plc , which appointed a new chief executive last month, said its chief financial officer had resigned.

The group said that Andrew Knuckey, who has been CFO since 2007, would leave the company after his successor is appointed and a suitable handover period is completed.

Flybe Group Plc had appointed former easyJet and Air Berlin executive Saad Hammad as its CEO last month. Hammad took charge on August 1.

The airline on Monday also appointed Paul Simmons as Chief Commercial Officer, effective October 28. Simmons joins from easyJet where he was Director, UK market.

Flybe added that three board members - the director of corporate strategy, the managing director of outsourcing solutions and the managing director of Flybe UK - would step down from the board immediately.

Faced with soaring fuel costs, falling passenger numbers and higher airport charges, Flybe has undergone a major restructuring -- axing 590 jobs and pledging to quit its main London hub at Gatwick airport.

(Reporting by Tasim Zahid in Bangalore; Editing by Supriya Kurane)