Emirates says Ex-Malaysia Air CEO Mueller to join this month

Christoph Mueller, previously CEO at Malaysia Airlines Bhd., joins Persian Gulf carrier Emirates this month in a newly created position that will see him play a significant management role at the biggest airline by international traffic. The German, who also ran Ireland’s Aer Lingus and former Belgian flag carrier Sabena, starts on Sept. 20 as chief digital and innovation officer, Emirates said. Emirates has expanded to become the world’s No. 1 long-haul airline after exploiting Dubai’s position at a crossroads between Europe and the Americas and Asia, the Middle East and Africa to siphon off lucrative transfer traffic. Still, annual sales fell for the first time in a decade in the year through March as the oil-price decline depresses local demand and the carrier struggles to find worthwhile new inter-continental routes. The executive, who turns 55 in December, was hired by Malaysia Air in March 2015 after its reputation and sales were hit by two aircraft losses the previous year, one involving a plane that disappeared over the Indian Ocean, the other a missile strike on a jet flying above a Ukrainian war zone. His strategy halted losses by recasting Kuala Lumpur as a hub for Asian rather than global travel, while cutting 6,000 jobs and shrinking capacity by almost one-third.<br/>