Iron Maiden rocker Bruce Dickinson is taking his side career as a pilot to new heights - he's been named the new marketing director for Astraeus Airlines. The frontman, a qualified pilot who flies with the airline, will be working alongside the company's chief commercial officer and director of leasing, Shaun Monnery, in the new role.

And Dickinson is looking forward to the new challenge - because he's convinced his experience working with the media as a rock star will aid him well. He says, "This is a marketing role aimed at delivering the Astraeus message and business proposition directly to what is a relatively tight and targeted audience of people and decision-makers in aviation. I'm a communicator, clearly I have a background in creative media, and I'm an airline captain, so it all makes great sense and I relish the challenge."

Monnery adds, "Bruce is a great communicator, he knows the aviation industry inside-out from both technical and commercial perspectives, and in a demanding industry he is a man who can cope with pressure, whether as a 757 captain or in front of 50,000 Iron Maiden fans, or senior airline and aviation managers." (KD/WNWCBBM/MT)

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