Emirates Airline has announced the appointment of Laurie Berryman as the award-winning carrier’s new Vice President for UK and Ireland.

Mr Berryman is promoted from his current position of Area Manager - UK North, and replaces Conrad Clifford.

The move is a highlight of a 20 year career with Emirates for Mr Berryman, 59, who joined the airline in 1990 ahead of Emirates’ inaugural Manchester-Dubai service.

Since then Emirates has grown from operating just from Manchester and London Gatwick, to the country’s largest non-UK long haul operator with 98 flights a week from six gateways. Mr Berryman has overseen subsequent launches from Birmingham, Glasgow and Newcastle.

Richard Vaughan, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Worldwide, said: “Laurie has been a driving force in developing Emirates’ hugely successful operations in the UK regions.

“Our services to and from Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and Newcastle are a cornerstone of the Emirates growth story in the UK and Laurie has done much to bring the airline to a whole new audience - he has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the UK market.

“The UK remains Emirates’ largest market outside of Dubai and Laurie is ideally placed to continue our growth in a fiercely competitive market.”

As well as managing Emirates’ regional services from the UK, he has overseen the growth of the airline’s European Call Centre in Wilmslow which employs over 300 people. He will be relocating from Emirates’ office in Wilmslow to the airline’s UK head office in Cromwell Road, West London.

Mr Berryman said: “Behind our strong brand in the UK is also a great team of people dedicated to delivering excellent customer service – I will be immensely proud to lead them.

“Even through the toughest of times we have been able to grow our services and I look forward to continuing to build on that success.”

Mr Berryman was previously with British Airways and British Caledonian Airways. He has a degree in economic history and politics from the University of Kent and is married with two sons.