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COVER STORY<br />
Ms. Liana Coyne<br />
Director, Coyne Airways<br />
Air cargo and avia on<br />
remain predominantly<br />
male-dominated but some<br />
women who have broken<br />
the glass ceiling are changing<br />
the dynamics in the<br />
industry. Liana Coyne,<br />
daughter of Coyne<br />
Airways' founder, is one of<br />
them. This Oxford<br />
graduate who went on to<br />
become an Englishqualified<br />
solicitor who coauthored<br />
a number of<br />
ar cles on legal subjects<br />
while working for the law<br />
firm Baker and McKenzie<br />
in London and Hong Kong,<br />
speaks six languages and<br />
hopes to converse in<br />
Arabic one day. Here are<br />
more of her insights<br />
shared with Air Cargo<br />
Update.<br />
How many planes and pilots do you have? Is it a must for those flying to<br />
conflict zones to have some military background as con ngency for any<br />
eventuali es?<br />
We do not have our own fleet, but we do ensure that the operators we use<br />
are well-experienced and well-qualified.<br />
Africa seems to fairly use air cargo to increase trade globally, any future<br />
expansion plans in the region?<br />
We are currently serving more than 30 des na ons all over Africa. We do<br />
not have any immediate plans for expansion but we are looking to deepen<br />
our current services.<br />
What about the Middle East, can you share with us your projec ons and<br />
plans for this region?<br />
Again, we are currently serving Iraq and Afghanistan here in the Middle<br />
East. Our plan now is to focus on what we do best with our current services,<br />
but as always, we will go with our customers.<br />
As the woman steering the wheel for Coyne Airways, what business<br />
philosophy do you adhere to in running your company and managing your<br />
people?<br />
I think that the most important thing in business is respect towards our<br />
customers, our suppliers, our colleagues and ourselves. It helps guide us on<br />
what we should and shouldn't do, and what we will or will not do.<br />
We understand that you're also into some charitable projects. Can you tell<br />
us the latest about this?<br />
We try to do our part. Our latest ini a ve aims to bring together a<br />
consensus within the air cargo industry on behalf of a charity; this ini a ve<br />
is being spearheaded by my father, as a former president of TIACA with<br />
some of his colleagues in the Chairman's Council such as Chris Leach from<br />
ACS and other luminaries.<br />
The charity is a small one with a big impact, providing life-changing support<br />
to the most vulnerable children whose families, communi es and schools<br />
have been torn apart by war. We have pledged $1 for each AWB we move<br />
and we will invite our customers and compe tors to match our<br />
contribu ons.<br />
How important is it to share with the underprivileged the fruits of your<br />
hard work?<br />
We believe it is important to always give back to those less fortunate than<br />
ourselves. What you realize from working in conflict and post-conflict zones<br />
is that lives can change in a heartbeat; today we are able to help, tomorrow<br />
we might need that same help.<br />
What would you say is Coyne Airways' proudest moment and why?<br />
It's hard to choose! We try to do something to be proud of every day.<br />
However, on a personal level, I was very touched when my father was<br />
recognized for a Life me Achievement Award last year.
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