Aerospace firm’s export trade sees sales manager achieve flight of fancy
The strong export trade conducted by one of Birmingham’s leading manufacturers has seen one of its sales managers achieve a notable milestone.
David Jones is technical sales manager at Dunlop Aircraft Tyres, a role which requires extensive travel.
Mr Jones has been travelling with airline Air France KLM to destinations across Africa and the Middle East for the last 36 years. Since boarding his first ever KLM flight in 1981, where he flew from Cairo to Amsterdam on a DC8 aircraft, he has now travelled on a further 836 flights operated by the Dutch carrier and 162 with its French counterpart, Air France.
His latest trip – his 1,000th with the airline partners – was recognised by the companies with an award of Platinum for Life status within the group’s frequent flyer programme, Flying Blue.
His 1,000th flight – which took him from Birmingham Airport to Nairobi, via Amsterdam Airport Schiphol – saw him upgraded to Business Class.
Mr Jones, a keen aviation enthusiast, has a log book detailing every flight he has taken since he began travelling in 1978. He has a special affinity with KLM, having travelled on a KLM Boeing 737 aircraft for his 737th flight with the group, a KLM B747 aircraft for his 747th flight and a KLM B777 aircraft for his 777th flight.
Dunlop Aircraft Tyres is the world’s only dedicated aircraft tyre manufacturer and retreader. As such, Mr Jones is likely to have many more flights ahead of him.
The business was last month acquired by Liberty Hall Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused exclusively on investments in businesses serving the global aerospace and defense industry. The deal valued the firm at more than £106m.
