Spotlight

How has Brexit played a role in Flybe's fortunes?

Let’s call it the 'B-word'! It's a massive disappointment. The impact of Brexit on the business is real and it’s not finished. I’m not sure we will ever be able to really understand the true impact, but businesses in the UK are resilient. They will survive and thrive or adapt, but it is an additional pressure that no one needs. Deciding to leave or not is just a decision – it is the way you do it and the way it is implemented that is crucial. If I had managed the process of Brexit like this in my company I would not have a job anymore!

Tell us about how your career in travel began...

I trained as an engineer and have a Masters in Aeronautics and I still feel good when I visit an aircraft hangar! I'd like to see more girls interested in maths and physics and we could be doing more in the UK and rest of the world on this. We have launched our flyShe initiative to inspire more girls to join the industry as pilots and engineers and it is good there is a lot of attention on diversity right now. If we don’t embrace female pilots we are restricting ourselves to recruiting from 49% of the population – it wouldn’t make sense. I am one of two females on the IATA Board of Governors right now, but hopefully it will be more soon.