The son of a former North-East miner has been appointed managing director of one of Britain's biggest holiday airlines.

Glen Chipp, born in Grangetown, Teesside, and educated at nearby Eston Grammar School, is boss of the Thomas Cook-owned JMC Airline, which has a 28-strong fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

He said: "I've joined the airline at an exciting time because we are rebranding and changing our name to Thomas Cook Airlines, which opens up tremendous marketing opportunities."

Mr Chipp, who gained a BSc honours degree in chemistry at Durham University and graduated in 1981, originally planned to be an industrial chemist.

He said: "It was my dad who encouraged me to go to university and the idea was I would join ICI.

"All my family had worked there at one time or another and I had originally intended to join ICI until I discovered how poorly paid industrial chemists were."

After leaving Durham he spent three years studying accountancy with the Newcastle branch of an international company.

He did join ICI for two years, between 1987 and 1989, and was senior operational auditor with the Chemicals and Polymers division on Teesside.

Since then, he has held senior posts in the newspaper and travel industries.

Mr Chipp's roots are still firmly in the North-East and his two brothers live in the area .

He lives near Gatwick Airport with his wife Carol, whom he married 20 years ago, and three children, a daughter aged 15 and two sons aged 14 and seven.

In his new role as the airline boss, he will take a flat not far from Manchester Airport, where the JMC fleet is based.

However, he said: "I won't be going to Old Trafford. I'm a Middlesborough supporter through and through."