COYNE AIRWAYS has appointed Liana Coyne as chief operating officer as part of a restructure that sees managing director John Batten leave the charter airline after seven months in the role.

Batten, a former Swissport Cargo executive vice-president, joined the all-cargo carrier in September 2013 with the intention of launching services into new markets, whilst focusing on customer service.

At the time of his appointment, Batten said: "I intend to grow the business and further develop our customer base and operational capability.”

Liana Coyne, who has been a director at Coyne Airways since 2010, will head up five new market-focused divisions, including Iraq, the Caspian and Central Asia, Afghanistan, Africa, and Contract Logistics, each with a dedicated manager.

The carrier said that the new structure “underpins Coyne’s focus on customer service” and will strengthen the airline as it pursues new route options using dedicated lift.

Chief executive Larry Coyne said: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank John for his contribution to Coyne Airways and working on this assignment to restructure the company. We wish him well for the future.”