Royal Jordanian seeks new chief executive after Pichler retires

Royal Jordanian Airlines has named chairman Said Darwazeh as its interim chief executive, after previous head Stefan Pichler retired having spent over three years in the top post. It has yet to appoint a permanent successor after the carrier’s contract with Pichler ended on 30 September. The airline credits him with increasing the company’s operating profit substantially, to JD43.8m ($61.8m) last year, after he shaped and implemented an “ambitious” turnaround plan. “We are proud about the significant progress our national carrier has achieved in the last three [pre-coronavirus] years,” says Darwazeh. Pichler took over the management of the carrier at the beginning of June 2017, the latest in a series of senior airline and travel leadership appointments which included Thomas Cook, Air Berlin, Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways and Fiji Airways. He says he was “truly honoured” to work for the Amman-based carrier and says he received “great support” from Darwazeh and the board.<br/>