THE owners of Liverpool John  Lennon Airport have appointed Matthew Thomas as the new new chief  executive.

He will take  up the role on March 1, having  held a number of senior  airport positions both in the  UK and internationally.

Mr Thomas currently works as the  commercial director for the  Vantage Airport Group, the  parent company of JLA.

Outgoing chief Craig  Richmond will leave the post  to take up a senior position  within the Vantage Airport  Group network in Cyprus.

Mr Richmond said: “This is  an exciting time for Liverpool  John Lennon Airport.

“There were a number of  announcements made  towards the end of last year,  including new routes from  Ryanair and easyJet and the  signing of a long-term deal  with Wizz Air.

“We also came to an  agreement with Norwegian  –  Europe’s third largest low cost  airline that will see them  commence flights from  Liverpool for the first time,  with a service to Copenhagen  in the spring.”

The appointment of  Matthew Thomas sees the  third chief executive in as  many years.

In 2010 Peel Airports chief  executive Mark Whitworth  stood down and was replaced  by Craig Richmond following  Vancouver Airport Group  (now Vantage) buying a  controlling 65% stake in Peel  Airports, in a deal believed to  be worth around £170m.

Former deputy chief  executive of Peel Airports,  Neil Pakey, remained to ease  the transition and  now  works  within Vantage’s global  network.

Vantage Airports UK is the  new name for the partnership  between Vantage Airport  Group and The Peel Group  which jointly own Liverpool  John Lennon Airport.

The new branding aligns  the company more closely  with majority shareholder  Vantage Airport Group.

The rebranding is also  linked to the formation of a  new subsidiary company,  Vantage Air Traffic Services  (Vantage ATS).

This provides Air Traffic  Services for Liverpool,  Doncaster Sheffield and  Durham Tees Valley airports.

The distinctive branding  for Liverpool John Lennon  Airport will remain  unchanged.