Etihad finally appoints
a new CEO
E
tihad Aviation
Group has
confirmed the
appointment of Tony
Douglas as Group
Chief Executive
Officer, who will
join the company
in January 2018.
Douglas joins Etihad
from the United
Kingdom’s Ministry
of Defence, where he has served as CEO of the
Defence Equipment and Support department,
responsible for procuring and supporting all the
equipment and services for the British Armed
Forces.
In the UK, he held senior positions with airport
operator BAA, and as Chief Operating Officer and
Group Chief Executive designate of Laing O’Rourke.
His roles under airport operator BAA included
Managing Director of the Heathrow Terminal
5 project, Group Supply Chain Director, Group
Technical Director, and CEO of Heathrow Airport.
Previously, Mr. Douglas held senior positions
in the UAE, most notably as CEO of Abu Dhabi
Airports Company and as CEO of Abu Dhabi
Ports Company where he was responsible for the
successful delivery of Khalifa Port.
“We are delighted to have Tony return to Abu
Dhabi to lead Etihad,” said Mohamed Mubarak
Fadhel Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Board of Etihad
Aviation Group. “He has guided the transformation
of large organisations in the UAE and the UK, and
he understands the UAE and the region. He is also
deeply knowledgeable about commercial aviation
and keenly familiar with Etihad’s challenges and
opportunities in a rapidly changing industry.”
“Etihad is a force in global aviation that must
continue to adapt and evolve on its own and
with industry partners. It is an economic and
employment engine for the UAE and the region,”
said Douglas. “With new infrastructure and
attractions like the expanded airport, Louvre Abu
Dhabi, and Abu Dhabi Global Market, Etihad has a
central role in supporting the UAE’s position as a
global hub of transportation, tourism, commerce,
and culture.”NOK Airlines CEO resigns
N
ok Airlines, Thai low-cost carrier, announced the resignation of its Chief
Executive Officer Patee Sarasin, effective from September 14, 2017 onwards.
Sarasin is being replaced by Piya Yodmani as former Deputy Chief Executive
Officer.
Following the resignation from its CEO role, Sarasin will remain the Director
of the Company and is appointed as Vice Chairman of the company, Nok airlines
announced. After working in advertising and marketing for three decades, Sarasin
took up the role of Nok Airlines’ CEO in 2004, where he became “the architect
of Nok Air’s unconventional approach to branding, creating music videos and
tongue-in-cheek commercials to engage consumers and build an image of a fun,
playful airline”, as Southeast Asia Globe puts in.
Nok Air is Thailand’s budget airline, positioning itself as a high quality budget
airline. The trademark Nok Air ways first established in 2004 under Sky Asia and
changed the name to Nok Airlines (‘nok’ in Thai language means bird) in 2006.
According to the 2016 data, Nok Air currently operates a fleet of 23 Boeing 737-
800s, eight Q400 NextGens, and two ATR 72-500s. Currently the airline serves
routes on 24 domestic and three regional airports.SalamAir appoints Captain
Mohamed Ahmed as CEO
S
alamAir, Oman’s
first low-cost airline,
appointed Captain
Mohamed Ahmed to
Chief Executive Officer. An
industry veteran with over
30 years of experience,
Captain Mohamed Ahmed
joins SalamAir from Air
Arabia where he occupied
the post of Group
Director of Operations &
Maintenance. The promotion comes in effect on October 2, 2017.
“It is our pleasure to welcome Captain Mohamed Ahmed to SalamAir,” said
Eng. Khalid bin Hilal Al Yahmadi, Chairman of SalamAir. ”His wealth of knowledge
and experience in the industry will play a pivotal role in the Airline’s growth and
development journey.”
“I have been following SalamAir’s progress from the very start and am proud
to be joining and working alongside the team to make SalamAir the traveling
partner of choice for guests flying between our ever-expanding destinations,” said
Captain Mohamed Ahmed. “The success of a budget airline business model is
centered on offering safe and affordable flights which represents a great value for
money. I plan to build a winning team and apply my experience and know-how to
write the next chapter of SalamAir’s success story.”
Launched in 2016, SalamAir is Oman’s first budget airline. Initiated by ASAAS,
a national investment and development company, SalamAir has been formed
to meet Oman’s rapidly increasing demand for air traffic at affordable prices.
Operating a fleet of A320s, the airline’s flight schedule includes flights to Salalah,
Suhar, Jeddah, Dubai, Sialkot and Karachi.AVIATION UPDATE 2017 OCTOBER 29
APPOINTMENTS