Finnair has announced its new general manager for UK, Ireland and Benelux, reinforcing the airline’s management team in the countries.

Based in London, Andrew Fish oversees sales and marketing teams across the region, including the strategically important gateways of London Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh, Dublin, Brussels and Amsterdam.

Fish – formerly Finnair sales director within the same markets – joined the airline in summer 2016 and starts the role with immediate effect.

The appointment comes at an exciting time for the airline as it expands its Airbus A350 XWB service between London Heathrow and Helsinki to a daily operation from March 2017, enabling passengers to enjoy long-haul levels of comfort and space on board the world’s most modern commercial aircraft.

Elsewhere, the airline is set to continue its popular Edinburgh to Helsinki service, with up to five weekly flights during the 2017 summer season, while Finnair’s Dublin to Helsinki route goes from strength-to-strength, with up to nine weekly flights over the peak summer period.

Fish brings significant experience from across the industry to the role.

Prior to joining Finnair he held management positions within travel specialist HRG, global data firm TRX, the UK’s largest hotel chain Premier Inn, and Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air.