Team member focus: Emma Ward

Q&A with Business Development & Operations Support, Emma Ward

When thinking about the ultimate dream team, we can’t be anything but grateful and proud to employ the best bunch of hard-working professionals.

We sat down with Business Development Operations Support, Emma Ward, who shared her best moments and most challenging tasks while working at Eagle Aviation.

With a wide-ranging career in the aviation industry, Emma has been a dedicated member of the Eagle Aviation team for just over eight years and has delivered professional experience to our customers from our base in Manchester.

So, without further ado, say hello to Emma Ward…

Who is Emma Ward?

I moved to the UK from Malta in 1965 and began my aviation career in 1972 when I joined the Royal Air Force.

Following a two-year period in Cyprus, I returned to the UK in 1979 and since then I have worked for various airlines in different positions – from passenger service agents to operations controller to station manager. I even had the honour of being the first female Airline Manager at Glasgow Airport.

I started working at Eagle Aviation eight years ago when the company was still under THS before being acquired by the Eagle brand.

What does your job entail?

Whatever needs doing, I’m there. I have been responsible for acquisition and management of airline Baggage Repatriation contracts, operational support at Eagle Aviation’s Manchester depot, as well as representing the company at Manchester Airline Operators Committee meetings.

In my role I also resolve issues impacting baggage collection operation with Manchester Airport Group management team. Being a customer of courier companies in the past has helped me immensely, as I fully understand what is required to fulfil our customers’ expectations.

What’s your favourite thing about working at Eagle Aviation?

The team are just great – we feel like more of a family than colleagues.

There is no making appoints and setting up meetings to talk to someone, which is a novelty in the industry. When you call the directors, they answer the phone and it really helps to keep that inter-department conversation open.

What does a day in the life of Emma Ward working at Eagle Aviation look like?

No two days are the same and each day brings new challenges.

Although my days do usual start the same with emails, dealing with issues and responding to queries being my top priority when I first log on. After this, I check in with my team to see if they need me to approach Manchester Airport with any problems.

The aviation industry has understandably been very different over the last two years as it was heavily impacted by the pandemic. We experienced a lot of airlines ceasing to operate, while on the other hand some continued in a limited way and there was still baggage to deliver.

What is the biggest challenge within your job you face while working at Eagle Aviation?

The biggest challenge is not knowing what to expect until the moment we are issued with a job. For example, when we are due to pick up bags from an aircraft, often we don’t know how many there are until we get there.

We could have 100 bags in a day or 400, and this makes it extremely difficult to have adequate resources to collect, process and deliver the luggage.

What is the furthest you have ever had to organise for a bag to be reunited with its owner?

We only deliver luggage within the UK, I’d say the further would be one delivered to the very top of Scotland.

Do you have any bizarre luggage scenarios?

Yes, plenty! On one occasion a bag unfortunately burst open in the back of a van and we were stunned to find it was full of peanuts. I couldn’t let it go to waste, so I spent the next three hours picking them up and putting them in a plastic bag before we could deliver to the owner. It’s what I call dedication – everyone else told me I had lost the plot!