Leading European private jet company Ocean Sky is strengthening and expanding with the appointment of three key new executives.

Captain Don Sigournay becomes the company’s director of flight operations, Lenny Gray takes on the role of general manager of Ocean Sky Aircraft Interiors, and new engineering manager Paul Macintyre will head the company’s maintenance operations start-up at London Luton Airport.

Sigournay says: “We are consolidating Ocean Sky’s flight operations management under one roof at our Luton Jet Centre Headquarters. My first job is to be the catalyst for that restructuring, turning the plans into reality. With that foundation in place, and the consequent efficiencies, the flight operations team will play a key role in supporting Ocean Sky’s short- and long-term expansion plans.”

A former Sea Harrier pilot and executive officer in the Royal Navy, with active service experience in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sigournay has held senior civilian positions at companies including British Airways CitiExpress. He will report to Andrew Hughes, managing director of Ocean Sky Aircraft Management.

Gray, who will oversee the launch of an Ocean Sky interiors operation at London Luton Airport, as well as ensuring the expansion of the existing interiors operation at the company’s Manchester Jet Centre, says: “Our interiors business is already strong and now I want us to be the market leader. We’ll be able to support third-party aircraft, of course, but given Ocean Sky’s rapid expansion plans, we’ll be kept very busy supporting our own aircraft. We’re looking to work on business jets from the Cessna Citations through to the complete Bombardier range of business aircraft.”

Gray is a veteran of 25 years in the aircraft interiors business, working specifically with VIP and corporate jet interiors for the past 15 years.

Macintyre will report to technical director Peter Whitham and will lead Ocean Sky’s maintenance operations in Luton, where the company is developing a new 46,000-square foot hangar facility. He says: “My first task is clear: to ramp the hangar up to a fully-equipped and fully-functioning engineering facility by early 2011. The operation will be focused on serving all of Bombardier’s business aircraft, from the Learjet family of light to mid-size jets through to the ultra-long-range Global aircraft.”

An engineering shop floor supervisor with Ocean Sky for the past three years, Macintyre has previously held positions at companies including British Aerospace, Hawker Beechcraft and Raytheon Aircraft Services.

Stephen Grimes, Ocean Sky’s chief executive officer, says: “Our expansion plans are dramatic, diverse and exciting, not just in the UK, but across Europe and into the Middle East. We need top people to manage this kind of rapid growth, which is why we are so pleased to have secured Don, Lenny and Paul’s services. We know they will lead their teams to maintain the highest standards of professionalism, safety and efficiency.”