Oman Air has appointed Paul Gregorowitsch as its new chief executive, effective immediately.

Oman Air chairman, Darwish bin Ismail bin Ali Al Balushi, hailed it as the start of a new chapter in the development, at local, regional and international levels, of the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman.

Al Balushi explained: “Gregorowitsch has vast experience in international airline management and his commercial expertise will be of immense benefit to Oman Air during its current phase, as well as in its next phase, where the company will experience expansion and evolution in terms of the strength of its fleet, the destinations it flies to, its operational network and its commercial activities.”

Gregorowitsch, a citizen of the Netherlands, joins Oman Air from Air Berlin, where, having joined the company in 2011, he sat on its management board with responsibility for the carrier’s commercial activities.

Air Berlin is one of Europe’s leading airlines with a network of 171 destinations.

Prior to joining Air Berlin, he was, from 2007 to 2011, president and chief executive of Amsterdam-based passenger and cargo airline Martinair Holland, where he implemented successful restructuring measures to bring the company back into profit in record time.

Gregorowitsch has also held a series of international management positions within Air France-KLM, rising to executive vice president commercial.

He was part of the executive team that was responsible for amalgamating the passenger divisions of Air France and KLM, and was a member of the Alliance Steering Committee of Northwest Airlines and KLM.

Gregorowitsch studied at the University of Leiden and at the Dutch Scientific Institute for Tourism and Leisure Management, in the Netherlands, and is married with three adult children.

Commenting on his appointment, Gregorowitsch said: “I am delighted to be taking up this vital and exciting role as chief executive of Oman Air.

“I am joining the airline at a critical time in its development and I look forward to making a significant contribution to its prosperity and growth, as well as to Oman’s travel and tourism industry.

“In recent years, Oman Air’s emergence as one of the world’s leading luxury airlines has illustrated the enormous progress it has made and it will be a pleasure to work with the company’s board of directors and its talented and committed staff to take Oman Air through its forthcoming programme of expansion.”

Gregorowitsch will work with the board and airline staff to oversee Oman Air’s second major phase of expansion, which will start later this year with the arrival of the first of 20 aircraft the carrier currently has on order.

These include three Airbus A330s, six Boeing B787 Dreamliners and 11 Boeing B737s, which will enable Oman Air to expand its network and increase frequencies on existing routes.

Oman Air’s current fleet strength stands at 30, comprising seven Airbus A330s, 17 Boeing B737s, four Embraer E175s and two ATR 42s, whilst its network covers 43 destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa.