The Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has announced a new Chief Operating Officer to bring together the management of the four airports of Manchester, East Midlands, Bournemouth and Humberside in addition to confirming its new Managing Director for Manchester Airport.

Following on from the earlier appointment of Charlie Cornish as MAG’s new Group Chief Executive in June, Penny Coates, the current MD of the Group’s smaller airports, will be promoted to the role of Chief Operating Officer.

Penny Coates said: “I’m excited to add Manchester – the largest of MAG’s airports – to my portfolio because it creates a huge opportunity to optimise the benefits of being a Group.  Our airports already hold every major travel industry award but if we are to retain our leading position, we have to focus on the areas that matter to our passengers and airlines from security to sustainability.  MAG has an exceptional and experienced team across our four airports and by working closely together we can take this business to the next stage in its development.”

Andrew Harrison, the current Commercial Director at Manchester, will replace Andrew Cornish as the new Managing Director of Manchester Airport.  He joined the airport in 2005 to focus on the retail portfolio, and specifically the redevelopment of the airport’s three terminals, launching over £80 million of improvements in July 2009.

Andrew Harrison said: “Over the last three years, we have made a massive investment in both Manchester Airport’s facilities and our ability to deliver excellent customer service.  I am looking forward to building on these foundations and leading our fantastic team to take full advantage of the economic recovery and deliver the benefits that the business brings to the North West region.”

Penny and Andrew will take up their new roles from 15 September.  The post of East Midlands Airport’s Managing Director will be advertised internally across MAG with any appointment likely to also be effective from September.

Geoff Muirhead CBE, Group Chief Executive of MAG, said: “This move comes at a time of significant change for MAG and is a major opportunity for the business to continue to strengthen our industry leading position.  The Group’s new Chief Executive has been fully involved in the process and I can speak for both of us when I say that we wish Penny and Andrew the best of luck in their new roles.”

The Manchester Airports Group is the UK’s largest British-owned airport operator. The four airports - Manchester, East Midlands, Humberside and Bournemouth – currently serve a total of over 23.9 million passengers every year.