Loganair beefs up management team ahead of Southampton base opening 

Loganair has made two key appointments ahead of opening a new base at Southampton airport.

Farrah Malik has joined the regional airline as interim chief financial Officer, following the departure of Chris Gemmell. 

Malik has more than 20 years of senior leadership experience from companies such as easyJet and John Lewis Partnership. 

Former Iata UK and Ireland country manager and European Regions Airline Association director general Simon McNamara is also joining as head of government and corporate affairs from September 1 from his most recent role at Heart Aerospace. He will support the airline’s government relations and stakeholder engagement.

The senior appointments were confirmed as Loganair was recognised by the Civil Aviation Authority as the most punctual airline in the UK for the second quarter of the year with 86% of flights departing on time.

The airline, which operates a fleet of 36 aircraft carryings 1.5 million passengers a year, has achieved Iata operational safety audit registration, underscoring work in delivering the highest safety standards and opening new opportunities for international partnerships.

Loganair’s tenth regional base at Southampton will see a new route to Manchester from October 26, increased capacity on flights to Edinburgh and connections via Manchester to Inverness, Aberdeen and the Isle of Man.

Chief executive Luke Farajallah said: “Since the introduction of several transformative initiatives in early 2024, the performance of the airline has gone from strength to strength. 

“We are very proud to be named the UK’s most punctual airline for the second quarter in 2025, with 86% of all Loganair flights departing within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.

"This is a very exciting time for our business with our additional base in Southampton now only months away. 

“To support this growth, we are delighted to welcome Farrah and Simon to our senior team. Both are highly experienced operators and will support our team in delivering the exceptional service that we have become known for.

"This is an exciting time as we expand our operations and reshape the business to continue our success story for years to come."