Silla Maizey has been appointed British Airways managing director Gatwick, responsible for all the airline’s commercial activity and operations there.

Also joining her on the senior management team at Gatwick are Colm Lacy, head of commercial and Alan Peever, head of ground operations

This additional focus on Gatwick will allow British Airways to better serve business and leisure customers from this important base.

As part of the new International Airlines Group, British Airways retains its brand and control of its operations and chief executive Keith Williams has said his objective is to put the customer at the heart of everything the airline does.

British Airways has a lot of planned investment in customers in the next few years, including the expansion of its North Terminal operation at Gatwick Airport which will open later this year.

Previously leading the British Airways customer directorate, Silla was responsible for bringing together the end-to-end customer proposition with Heathrow customer services, in flight services, ba.com and global contact centres.

She was previously British Airways’ head of corporate responsibility and was responsible for creating and delivering ‘One Destination’, the airline’s corporate responsibility strategy that encompasses its environmental, community, marketplace and workplace interests.

An accountant by profession, Silla is also chairman of British Airways DC Retirement Plan and a member of the board of management of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply.

Colm Lacy was previously general manager network planning and joined the airline in 1997 in cargo finance. His other roles have included finance manager for airline alliances, senior manager revenue management, responsible for pricing for sales out of the UK and Ireland market, and responsibility for British Airways revenue forecasting and analysis.

He studied joint chemistry and management science at Nottingham University and is a qualified management accountant. Before joining British Airways he worked for Allied Irish Bank plc.

Colm’s strong commercial credentials will be put to good use at Gatwick where British Airways continues to grow its long haul leisure routes. He will continue to find and evaluate new business opportunities at Gatwick.

On the operational side Alan Peever’s new role is head of Gatwick ground operations. Alan and his team have been instrumental in raising British Airways’ performance at Gatwick to a new level over the last two years with record punctuality figures and excellent customer feedback.

He is responsible for all the ground based staff groups from customer services to ramp and engineering.

He is overseeing the milestone move of the British Airways’ operation to the newly extended North Terminal in the summer, which will include the introduction of state-of-the-art technology to improve the overall travelling experience for customers.

More than four and a half million passengers fly to and from Gatwick on British Airways flights every year

This summer the airline is introducing new services from Gatwick to San Juan, Marrakech and Malaga with increased frequency on some of the Caribbean routes.

BA’s Mauritius service will move from Heathrow to Gatwick, in November this year

Did you know that if you are flying with British Airways you can now check in your bags the day before your flight, irrespective of the time of your flight the next day?

Previously, BA only permitted check-in of luggage between 4pm and 10pm if the passenger’s flight departed before 3:15pm the next day.

Since the start of the winter services, BA has extended this to all customers.

Passengers checking in bags for the following day should drop their bags at the appropriate Fast Bag Drop desk in Zone D.

Early bag check-in is a great service if you plan to book a Gatwick hotel room before you fly.