Wear was previously director of air service development and cargo services for the City of Philadelphia Division of Aviation, with oversight for Philadelphia International and Northeast Philadelphia airports.

She will report to Gatwick chief commercial officer Jonathan Pollard and will work with Gatwick majority shareholder Vinci airports and its wider network.

Prior to her role in Philadelphia, Wear was director of aviation and economic development for the Tenerife Tourism Corporation, and was also director of the Tenerife Convention Bureau.

Additionally, she served as head of procurement and international projects in the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation of Tenerife.

"I’m delighted to welcome Stephanie to our senior leadership team at Gatwick," said Pollard. "As with the rest of the aviation industry, we have inevitably experienced difficult times recently due to the pandemic. However, we are confident about rebuilding our business and stimulating further growth in the future.

"Stephanie will be an integral part of that success given her strong experience in airline services and routes expansion.”