A new managing director has been appointed at East Midlands Airport.
Clare James MBE replaces Karen Smart has become managing director at Manchester Airport, which is part of the same group.
A spokesman for the business said her immediate focus will be to help the airport recover from the global lockdown, the biggest crisis the aviation sector has ever seen.
Over the longer-term she will help grow the Castle Donington airport’s position in the leisure travel market and expand its role as one of the busiest in Britain for express freight and dedicated air cargo traffic.
Like her predecessor – they served together in the Falklands 26 years ago – she began her career in the RAF, where she served reached the rank of Group Captain.
For the past year Ms James has been operational excellence director at Manchester Airports Group where she led its recovery programme in response to Covid-19.
She joined MAG from NATS, the national body responsible for managing the Ƶ’s airspace.
There she had responsibility for air traffic control across some of the Ƶ’s busiest airports, including Manchester and London Stansted.
Previous roles include airfield operations director for Serco.
She said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as East Midlands Airport’s managing director.
“I join at a time when airports need to quickly adapt to multiple challenges; the Covid-19 pandemic, our commitment to sustainable growth, and the increasingly important role we have in the communities we serve.
“I will continue to operate and grow this airport responsibly and sustainably to ensure that it fulfils its potential as a global gateway for people and products, and as a good neighbour and member of the local community.
“Collaboration and cooperation have never been as important as they are in this current climate and I look forward to getting to know the region well and supporting the work that is underway to position the East Midlands as an attractive region in which to invest, grow businesses and live.”
As the Ƶ’s largest dedicated air cargo operation, East Midlands helped keep Britain moving when lockdown restrictions brought much global trade to a standstill.
The airport was briefly one of Europe’s busiest.
Her appointment coincides with the re-start of EMA’s summer season – which took a fresh knock over the weekend with the re-introduction of two week’s home quarantine for anyone flying back from Spain and its islands.
Scott Knowles, chief executive at East Midlands Chamber called the announcement of the 14-day quarantine a “hammer blow”.
He said: “Air bridges with popular holiday destinations for British people are an effective way of safely reopening our borders, so the sudden introduction of quarantine measures for Ƶ arrivals from Spain is a hammer blow for the struggling travel and tourism industries.
“This decision comes just as there appeared to be a chance for these industries to salvage something from this summer, and will put a dent in the confidence of consumers who may now hesitate to book a holiday when the law could change at any moment.
“For businesses that are planning to reopen offices from August 1 and gradually return to normal, this also adds further complication into the mix.
”They will now have to manage the effects of this unexpected change as staff who have already booked holidays – and may well be on them – will have to go into self-isolate for two weeks when they return.
“Support measures should be extended to help organisations and their employees manage the additional uncertainty generated by this and other Government decisions.
“It also further highlights the need for continued improvement in the test and trace programme, alongside co-ordinates checks at departure and arrival airports, to alleviate the need for more of these restrictions.”
