PLANESTATION boss Martin May, a turnaround expert brought in to boost shareholder value after the sacking of Oliver Iny, has hinted that senior executives were fired because they thought they were "bigger than the organisation".

Vowing to take Kent International into the premier division of airports, Mr May gave the first clue as to why Mr Iny and Geoff Lansbury, former airport chief executive, were fired.

Mr Iny, the colourful leader of the former Wiggins Group, left in a move that surprised shareholders but pleased City investors who were fed up with the group's indifferent track record.

Soon after taking over from Mr Iny, Mr May sacked Manston airport chief executive Geoff Lansbury, despatching him to a year of "gardening" leave on a contracted salary of £190,000.

Asked why he had acted so quickly against Mr Lansbury, Mr May told Kent Business: "PlaneStation has a new vision. To deliver things, you need management and quite frankly management doesn't work when you have people in the organisation who are either bigger than the organisation or believe they are the organisation."

He added: "What we want is to get this airport and the others into the premier division. We can wait and see if it happens or we can make it happen. "

Mr May, a no-nonsense businessman who previously turned around McNicholas construction group, Cape Plc and Gresham Computing, defined PlaneStation by saying it was "not a regional airport operator with some property assets".

He dismissed the protest of shareholders campaigning to reinstate Mr Iny, saying that results would "speak for themselves".

PlaneStation had a focused management team who were committed to making the company successful. "On that basis, we can deliver, create value and that's what the shareholders want," he said.

"I don't claim to be a turnaround expert. What I claim is that I fix problems and I think we are making substantial progress at Manston."