Lift off for commercial director at Aberdeen airport Aberdeen International Airport has a new permanent boss following the promotion of Carol Benzie to managing director. Currently commercial director, she has been at the airport for five years and will officially take up the top job on 1 October. Top of her "to do" list will be the redevelopment of the terminal, improving access to the hub and growing the number of destinations reachable from the airport. She said: "I am excited to be taking up this role, given the economic importance of the airport to our region as we continue to expand and grow. There are a number of priorities that I am looking forward to progressing, from the plans for the terminal redevelopment to a continued emphasis on improving local surface access and route development for the benefit of our customers. These things will remain as important to me as they have been to my predecessors, and I will also continue the work to constantly keep our safety messages high on the agenda. Born and brought up in the North-east of Scotland, Benzie is a qualified chartered accountant and has more than ten years" experience in the oil and gas sector. After that she spent a further seven years in the charitable sector before joining the airport's management team. The booming oil and gas sector in the Aberdeen area is driving growth at the airport, with a connection to the Norwegian energy industry hub of Kristiansund launched earlier this year. It said the process to find a commercial director to replace Benzie will get under way "in the coming weeks."