The Foreign Airlines Association UK (FAA) announced last week that Colin Stewart, UK General Manager, Air Europa, will take over as its new Chairman, having served as Vice Chairman since 2013.

The FAA represents 45 of the leading overseas airlines in the UK, and promotes the interests of its members while providing common space to share experience and seek advice. It is the oldest association of its type in the world founded over 68 years ago in 1946.

Colin Stewart, a graduate of the Lord Ashcroft International Business School at Anglia Ruskin University, has worked at Air Europa since 2009, where he oversaw the launch of the largest Spanish-owned airline in the UK market, since which time it has enjoyed year-on-year double digit growth.

Colin has over 13 years of aviation experience, having worked both for FTSE100 companies and innovative start-ups. He was also elected onto the Latin American Travel Association (LATA) Executive Board on May 2013 and currently sits on the UK Skyteam Global Alliance Committee.

Under Colin’s leadership, Air Europa in the UK has established itself as the Latin American specialist airline, and now operates long-haul flights from London Gatwick via Madrid Barajas to leading destinations across Latin America, the Spanish Caribbean, and further afield. These are connected with a twice-daily London-Madrid service.

John Varley, the Honorary Secretary of the FAA, says: “We are delighted to welcome Colin to this role. Air Europa offers us great links with and knowledge of Latin America.”

For his part, Colin Stewart says: “It is a great honour and privilege to be named Chairman of the Foreign Airlines Association, a hugely important and prestigious organization with a famous history. I very much enjoyed my time as Vice Chairman and feel very excited about this new role.

“I will strive to use my position as UK General Manager for Air Europa, which gives me great links to vital partners across the UK, Latin American and global travel industries, to offer the highest standards of support and guidance to all our members,” adds Colin.