Life at MAN - Leo Coussement, Senior Strategy Analyst
As Manchester Airport constantly grows, more and more passengers visit every year. A key focus is giving passengers a wide choice in where they can visit across the globe - but before the airport is able to open new routes a huge amount of planning is necessary.
In this month’s Life at MAN, we had the opportunity to speak to Leo Coussement- Senior Strategy Analyst- as he shares some of the statistics recorded to prove the crucial benefits behind every new route. Written by Bronte Birch.
How long have you been working at Manchester Airport?
I joined Manchester Airport in late 2016, meaning I’ve been part of the community for almost 10 years - much to my surprise considering how fast this decade at the airport has been for me!
What does your job involve on a typical day?
Me and the team are constantly working on varied parts of work across the airport. For example, the strategy team supports many different people around the business who will come to us for any enquiries or problems to do with data that need to be answered or solved; usually involving aviation data.
This means my usual day-to-day involves working very closely with the rest of the aviation development teams. Our job is to go out and sell routes to airlines. For destinations the airport doesn’t fly to, we establish that passengers do still fly there but by travelling to different airports. This is proven by bringing airlines sets of data over a period of time to back up our claims- often consisting of if people are travelling direct or not from existing routes with different airlines, and domestic UK routes such as travelling by train. This is done to hopefully convince an airline that there are benefits in launching a new route to a destination from at least one of the MAG airports.
We also tend to keep track of current popular destinations and give that data to the media team for promoting; but in reality, anyone in the business with questions about aviation can be answered with our figures and understanding.
What is the most memorable thing you’ve worked on?
A memorable example would be our success in beginning a route to Shanghai with Juneyao Airlines a few years ago. We had all been working on the commencement for at least 5 years, so it was a major accomplishment for the business and our consistent determination. There have been many more memorable moments, making it hard to pin one in particular, but the major route launches are hard to forget!
What do you enjoy the most about working at the airport?
Particularly for our team, the constant variety of things we can get involved in helps give us a wider understanding of the airport and the detail of every role we are associated with. I am usually involved in aviation, but we often get asked questions across the business that aren’t always strongly linked to passengers or airlines. The range of knowledge and data we have means that different topics and areas of the business can often involve us in the behind-the-scenes of their roles and experiences. It’s as if the airport is a small city, giving us broad exposure to many jobs I would never know about if I wasn’t part of aviation – widening my perspective significantly!
How did you get into your job, and what kind of qualifications or skills are needed?
I have been part of aviation for my entire career, after getting a degree in it at university. For one season, I worked as cabin crew for easyJet before working for a small airline in the operations department- making sure flights and passengers were punctual. I now work as Senior Strategy Analyst but have always had experience in different parts of the industry. You don’t necessarily need qualifications for the job but the main skill I believe is crucial is being analytical in order to problem solve with logic and data; as well as having the ability to explain your point clearly.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone considering a career at the airport?
The airport is an incredible place to work! Being open to moving about in different jobs really gives you the full picture; MAG is excellent at supporting those who want to change their role or job in the business, as I constantly experience this happening with colleagues. Moving around the roles at the airport creates great skills for each individual - many even return to their past role with the experience gained to perform at a greater standard in the job they truly loved at the airport! Entering MAG with an open-mind instead of focusing on one role with allow you to explore all the exciting opportunities and expertise that are offered to you.
What do you like to do when you’re not at work?
I’m involved in a lot of running in my spare time; even running the Manchester Marathon last year and will be doing it again! I was a member of a gliding club in order to learn to fly, I plan to join back when i have some time or possibly trying to get my Private Flying Licence- a target for the future.
Which destination that we fly to do you most want to visit?
It’s going to have to be Singapore; me and my partner have visited Asia a few times but never been to the country. One of my friends lives there and is extremely positive about it, it just seems like an incredible place to experience for myself!