Interview with Morgana Vargas, Quality & Environmental Manager at Azul Handling (Ryanair Group)

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• Tell us briefly when you started working at Azul Handling and how was the selection process?

At the beginning of July I started working for Azul Handling or, as we call it, the “EquipAzul” (“Blue Team”). At Azul Handling, we take care of providing ground assistance services to all Ryanair Group aircraft in Spain.

The truth is that the selection process surprised me because of the professionalism shown by the company and the clarity with which the different phases of the process were explained to me. At all times I knew what the next step was, when they would contact me again and if I was still among the candidates for the position.

As a personal piece of advice, I recommend distrusting a little any ambiguous selection process in which they keep candidates uninformed or the company does not give us clear answers to our doubts. If a company conveys an image of mistrust or disorganization, it may not just be an image, but the usual way they work.

In my case, the first contact was through an offer published on LinkedIn, which I decided to apply for through the platform itself. A few days later, I received a first email informing me that my profile had been interesting for them and they proposed a first telephone interview.

The entire selection process was remote, since I was living in another city, and there were emails, phone calls and video calls, both with the people in charge of interviewing and looking for the ideal candidate as well as with the person who was so far performing the duties associated with the position I was applying for.

In fact, I find the option of being able to “meet” the person who carries out the work in question very interesting; as he/she will always be the person who will best know how to explain everything to us. In addition, it is a great opportunity to find out if that person leaves the company or simply changes position within it, which speaks very highly of the company itself.

• What position and functions do you perform in the company?

My current position is Quality and Environment Manager. The functions to be performed could be summarized as follows:

– Ensure compliance with policies and procedures regarding quality and the environment.

– Provide support to the Management and Heads of the different departments to define, disseminate and maintain these policies.

– Promote the continuous improvement of the integrated quality and environment system.

– Coordinate the performance of internal and external audits, being a participant in the actions derived for the correction of “non-conformities” or deviations found.

– Being the liaison figure between the airport staff and the rest of the Company in everything related to quality, optimizing the management of resources and ensuring that environmental objectives are achieved.

However, the world of aviation is really dynamic as well as exciting, so all the work that is done cannot be summed up in just a few lines. Every day can be a new challenge!

• How do you think the knowledge acquired in the Master in Sustainable Air Transport Management MATSM has influenced your incorporation and subsequent professional development in Azul Handling?

In 2020 I decided to start studying the Master in Sustainable Air Transport Management MATSM with ITAérea Aeronautical Business School and the United Nations. The main reason, having seen that in the aviation sector there are really few people with knowledge in aeronautics and, in turn, sustainable development. Certainly, it seemed like a good gold mine to be able to differentiate myself from the rest of the people who, like me, once studied Aeronautical Engineering or other related degrees.

I am convinced that my training at ITAérea greatly favored my candidacy for the position of Quality and Environment Manager that I currently hold at Azul Handling. Although it is true that my previous professional experience was based entirely on the aviation sector, both civil and military, I had never before been in a similar position that allowed me to work for a greener future.

Without a doubt, I am very grateful that my current company made a commitment to me and to the potential that they saw in me during the selection process. Although I am convinced that I did not have all the professional experience that they would have wanted, they identified that I did have the necessary knowledge and skills, as well as a great motivation to take this new step in my career.

• What is the most important aspect that you highlight of your experience as a student of ITAérea – UN MATSM?

As a student of the MATSM, I highlight the possibility that ITAérea offers to study a master’s degree completely remotely, where you can meet professionals from the sector at a national and international level and be able to exchange opinions and points of view, while at the same time allowing us to analyze practical cases in which apply the theoretical knowledge offered by the master’s degree itself.

Likewise, I would like to highlight the importance of the final thesis as the culmination of the master’s degree, where everything seen throughout the different modules can be put into practice. I always recommend that, for a thorough investigation such as that required by a thesis, a topic that is really interesting to us and, if possible, that is on the agenda, is chosen.

In my case, being from El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona) and doing my master’s degree at a time of great controversy over the possible extension of one of the runways at El Prat airport, I decided to focus my thesis on carrying out an analysis of the environmental impact that said expansion could cause in its surroundings, characterized by the presence of natural spaces, as well as a search for other possible alternatives to increase the airport’s capacity. Being a hot topic, it is much easier to find information and diversity of opinions and points of view to analyze, which will only increase our knowledge on the subject and enrich the result of our project.

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