Cambridge Airport is promoting Cambridge Airport as the airport of choice for niche premier and business short haul airline operations accessing the East of England, ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.

The company has appointed David Surley as senior business development manager to support the push, joining the airport’s management team this week in a newly created role. Surley joins the Marshall Group airport from London Oxford Airport where he was responsible for the airport’s handling proposition and commercial aviation strategy.

His experience as Sales and Marketing Manager at Air Mauritius where he looked after the airline’s UK and Ireland market development; combined with highly relevant management positions held at major organisations including Star Alliance, ANA (All Nippon Airways), Helios Airways and STA Travel gives him good grounding to advance Cambridge’s ambitions of developing niche scheduled flights.

Cambridge Airport is one of just five regional airports in the UK capable of accepting business and passenger services with a 24/7 slot allocation during the 2012 Olympics period. The airport, which has 24 hour security patrols, has no runway restrictions as it holds a Public Use license, and can accept the operation of public transport aircraft up to Boeing 757 and Airbus A320 size.  

Archie Garden, director of Cambridge Airport said: “Recent research from the CAA demonstrates that the residents of the greater Cambridgeshire area have a significantly above average propensity to travel by air.

“We are keen to support their requirements and are are truly excited for the future development of regional airline business at Cambridge Airport. e are delighted to welcome David with his extensive experience in airline sales, marketing and customer relations.”

Surley added: “With its high-tech industry and as one of the UK’s most famous and academically acclaimed cities, I can’t think of a more exciting regional airport to be part of than Cambridge. I’m looking forward to helping develop Cambridge Airport’s future and capitalising on the opportunity for regional airline growth.”

The residents of greater Cambridgeshire took four million flights in 2010, equating to nine per person for Cambridge-based residents and two per person for those living in outlying areas.  Of those, around a third were business-related trips.  Key business short-haul destinations identified locally include Edinburgh, Dublin, Amsterdam, Glasgow and Dusseldorf with Chicago identified as a key US opportunity.

It is also an excellent alternative destination for London-based traffic, especially for travellers to and from the US as the airport location lies directly on the flight path that avoids London’s busy airspace.

Cambridge Airport is part of the Marshall Group of Companies, a private family business, owned and managed by the Marshall family. The business was founded in Cambridge in 1909, and entered aviation in 1929. The Marshall Group activities include Cambridge Airport, Marshall Executive Aviation, and Marshall Aerospace, focused on engineering and technology.

• PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS: Archie Garden, director of Cambridge Airport