Gold Medal and Travel 2 to launch charter flying programme

Former Thomas Cook Airlines’ digital, UK and international sales director Henry Sunley has been appointed director of air supply at the group, to lead the operation.

He will also support growth plans across dnata’s B2B and B2C arms in the UK.

Sunley’s responsibilities will include procuring short- and medium-haul capacity, which once sourced, will be “revenue managed and distributed via the multiple dnata Travel Group sales channels and brands”, which include Gold Medal, Travel 2, Travel Republic, Netflights and Travelbag.

Responsibility for long-haul will remain with director of air product, Simon Woodford.

Sunley will report directly to dnata Travel Group chief executive, John Bevan, and be based at the company’s new offices in Leyland, Lancashire.

Sunley said: “Several million airline seats are sold each year across the group’s brands, so it’s vitally important that those are being secured at the right price, and sold to our millions of customers properly.

“I’m particularly excited by the opportunity to build a charter proposition for the group, using my expertise in this area to maximise what we see as being a market with considerable potential.”

Bevan added: “We boast an unrivalled variety and scale across our brands, so controlling a proportion of the flight capacity out there is a logical step for us to take as we pursue our growth strategy, and will provide even more choice and value for partners in the trade and our leisure customers.

“In Henry I know we have the right person for this exciting new market for us. He is a great addition to our senior leadership team and will mean we can significantly accelerate the effectiveness and ambition of our air capacity planning and procurement across our whole group, and our range of product. I’m delighted to welcome such a well-respected and well-connected individual to the dnata family.”

Sunley joins a number of other ex-Cook staff who have joined dnata Travel Group in a variety of sales, operations, service and back office roles in recent weeks.

He spent 24 years at Cook, 17 working in a variety of commercial roles for the tour operation before moving to Thomas Cook Airlines in 2012, where his focus was to grow the seat-only element of the business.

From 2017 he led a team of 70 people in the UK, Germany and Spain.