Firm duo named for proposed Flybe flotation valued at £200m

Hogan Lovells and Eversheds are in line to pick up lead roles on domestic airline Flybe's proposed flotation on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).

The airline is understood to be handing the main role on its planned listing to longstanding adviser Eversheds. London-based corporate partner Simon Masters is expected to lead the team advising on the listing, which is set to value the company at around £200m.

Hogan Lovells has been instructed to advise the underwriting banks on the deal, which is expected to happen early next year if the airline goes ahead with it. The transatlantic firm's London head of equity capital markets Richard Brown is leading the team advising the banks, which are still to be named.

Flybe is 69% owned by Rosedale Aviation Holdings, while 7% is owned by chief executive Jim French, with 9% held by staff through an employee share scheme.

A further 15% is owned by British Airways (BA) as a result of Flybe's acquisition of BA Connect in 2007. That deal saw Eversheds advise Flybe on its purchase of BA's loss-making regional operation, with Addleshaw Goddard and Norton Rose also picking up roles.

Both Addleshaws and Eversheds have since been retained as principal legal advisers to the Flybe Group, with Addleshaws advising Flybe earlier this year when the airline made a $1.3bn (£850m) order for 35 planes from aircraft manufacturer Embraer, in a bid to expand its Western European offering.

London-based aviation head Rory McCarthy advised Flybe, which was also given the option to buy a further 105 aircraft, meaning the deal could eventually be worth up to $5bn (£3.3bn).

Flybe, which boasted revenues of £577m in 2009, is likely to use the proceeds of the flotation to fund an expansion programme that could include the takeover of two rival airlines.