Abu Dhabi-based private charter company Royal Jet has announced that long-serving chief executive and president Shane O’Hare has left the company by mutual consent.

He will be replaced by captain Patrick Gordon, who will take on the roles of chief executive and acting president.

O’Hare, who was appointed in June 2007, helped the company post profits consecutively for the past eight years, Royal Jet said, while the carrier was also recognised as the World’s Leading Private Jet Charter by the World Travel Awards during his tenure.

Gordon is a well-known face in the region and has been serving as advisor to the company’s chairman, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, for the past 15 years.

He has previously served managerial and advisory posts in aviation operations, training and safety in UAE, Saudi Arabia and the US and is an airline transport pilot in airplanes and helicopters, a statement from Royal Jet explained.

Royal Jet, jointly owned by Abu Dhabi Aviation, itself a publicly listed company on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange, and the Presidential Flight Authority, has a fleet of six Boeing Business Jets, which makes it the world’s largest BBJ operator.

Along with offering luxury air charter services, Royal Jet also offers a charter brokerage, which provides travel solutions, a medical evacuation service, and an aircraft management and acquisition consultancy.