Flybe has announced Roy Kinnear will be joining the company as its new chief commercial officer from January 2018.
Kinnear stepped down from this role as chief executive of Air Seychelles earlier this month.
In his new role, he will report directly to Flybe chief executive and be a member of Flybe’s executive committee.
He will have overall responsibility for heading up the airline’s commercial activities with its revenue management, network, scheduling, ancillary, sales, marketing, e-commerce, customer care and loyalty teams all reporting to him.
Kinnear possesses a wealth of commercial airline experience gained from over 30 years in the industry having previously held various senior management roles with carriers that have included bmi, Gulf Air and Etihad.
Associated with this change, Flybe chief revenue officer, Vincent Hodder has moved to take up the position of chief strategy officer.
In this role, Hodder will be fully focused on looking for new strategic opportunities that will drive profit growth.
Flybe chief executive, Christine Ourmières-Widener, said: “Roy will bring some exceptional talent to Flybe and we are thrilled to have recruited him to join us.
“He has a wealth of experience and I know that, with his very real passion for the industry, he will add an exciting new dimension in leading the commercial area and help continue the implementation of our plan to position Flybe as Europe’s best regional airline.”
Prior to Kinnear’s arrival at Flybe, Ronnie Matheson, currently director of revenue management and distribution, will take up the role of interim chief commercial officer.
“I’m delighted to be joining Flybe in this new role,” added Kinnear.
“It’s an exciting time for the airline as it consolidates and continues to build on its position as the leading regional airline in Europe.
“I’m very much looking forward to working with the commercial team to drive up the airline’s profitability.”