With the US Department of Transport standing in its way of taking off, fledgling airline Virgin America has added one of the agency’s former leaders to its board in an effort to prove it is not beholden to foreign interests.

Airline Virgin America told US government regulators it is prepared to overhaul its ownership, jettison its chief executive and possibly even change its name to gain clearance to fly.

The Virgin Group’s new low-fare airline has agreed to buy and lease up to 105 narrow-body jets from Airbus SAS and name the carrier Virgin America.