Universal Weather and Aviation has made a number of new appointments, in a bid to strengthen its position within Europe and the Middle East.

Jonathan Howells, the company’s former sales and development director, takes on the role of regional director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Robin Williams, who has been with the company since 1997, becomes head of sales for the same regions plus Australasia. And Steve Woods takes the helm as UVair fuel consultant, bringing over six years of aviation experience to his latest position.

The announcement coincides with news that the company’s subsidiary, Universal Aviation Italy, has been awarded full ground handling licences at Milan Linate and Rome Ciampino airports, with effect from July. It had already enjoyed supervisory handling services in Italy for over 18 years – the company now plans to develop its UVglobal network in other locations throughout the country.

Universal’s manager, Lorena Carraro, said of the achievement: “We are excited to be able to offer our clients a more comprehensive range of services at Milan and Rome. Our customers will now have a choice of utilising a full ground handling agent as well as the convenience of taking all the services they require directly from us.”