Scotia Airways is a small private airline based in Glasgow, Scotland. Launched in May 1996 by independent business investors, it operates scheduled flights to provide exceptional value, comfort, and convenience for both business and leisure passengers. The airline’s headquarters are located near Glasgow International Airport. Initially focused on the UK domestic market, Scotia Airways now offers direct flights to major commercial hubs in Europe, connecting them to Scotland’s main cities. Its presence is growing at Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen airports. Alongside boarding assistance from valets, the airline offers gourmet meals and a range of in-flight services and entertainment.
Scotia Airways is an innovative airline that offers comprehensive business class services at affordable prices, comparable to its competitors’ economy class. Currently, the airline operates in eight European destinations: Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid, Rome, Lisbon, Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Moreover, they provide domestic flights to Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and the four London airports. They have a fleet of five aircrafts which enables them to effectively respond to market demands and challenges. The future outlook for Scotia Airways looks promising due to the relaxed regulations by both the EU and UK government on airline licensing. The original investors recognized the potential for growth in business travel when establishing the airline.
The airline has recruited a management team with expertise in the budget aviation industry, and currently employs 80 employees across various departments. To meet customer demands, significant resources have been devoted to marketing and sales, finance, and operations. This has resulted in increased staffing levels, budgets, and capital investment. The company employs executives and managers in marketing, finance, HR, and flight operations as well as operational and administrative staff within each department. Rosa Dallevic is the overall leader of the company with assistance from her long-term colleague Azim Ishtiaq. Additionally, she has kept her personal assistant Katrin Wright since joining Scotia to ensure consistency and continuity.
Scotia Airways has excelled in operating within the regulatory frameworks of the aviation industry. The airline has established a strong reputation for its adherence to UK civil aviation standards, going above and beyond minimum consumer travel protection schemes, and actively meeting customer needs. A major contributor to Scotia Airways’ success lies in the management’s focus on service output. Senior management collaborates with middle and junior managers and staff to set output targets, and empowers them to determine the operational planning. The senior managers are responsible for determining the targets related to provision scale, passenger volume, and market share, while middle and junior managers and employees provide the specifics for the plan.
Scotia Airways plans to expand internationally by introducing flights to major European tourist destinations and expanding to business centers in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East. The airline will use custom-built wide-bodied aircraft exclusively for international flights, eliminating economy class travel. Since its establishment in 1996, Scotia Airways has maintained the same management team and most staff members have remained with the company as it has grown. Both management and workers have focused on building a culture of trust, which has significantly improved efficiency, effectiveness, and overall performance. Chief Executive Rosa Dallevic has played a key role in fostering this positive working relationship within and between different departments.
The positive management approaches and diverse reward policies that were agreed upon and supported by Trade Union representatives have strengthened this. The success of the business is not only based on developing and strictly implementing policies and procedures, but also investing significant time and consideration into promoting social harmony and integration within the workplace. Scotia Airways is widely seen as a family-style business and has established a network of suppliers and clients who are considered part of the extended family. The management team at Scotia Airways has diligently planned and evaluated their services to prioritize customer satisfaction as the main driver of business success. Meeting stakeholders’ interests in Scotia Airways has always been a top priority for Rosa, even when faced with challenging decisions, as she consistently displays strong leadership.
The investors in Scotia Airways intend to grow the business in the next 5 years by adding long haul destinations. Although some members of management and workers are worried about how this shift will affect the company’s culture, it is widely understood that Scotia needs to adapt its principles and practices in order to thrive and compete in a tough market. The senior management team has started developing initial plans for expansion, including assessing potential implications for objectives, goals, and policies, as well as implementing necessary restructuring to ensure the business remains viable. Naturally, many employees feel anxious about the expansion and its possible risks and uncertainties. Some Trade Union members have expressed the sentiment of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but most workers and the management team acknowledge the changing market and increasingly challenging environment, which has prompted swift progress on these plans.
