Russian flag-carrier Aeroflot has confirmed a new CE, Sergei Alexandrovsky, who will succeed Mikhail Poluboyarinov. Alexandrovsky is the former head of group carrier Rossiya. Poluboyarinov had led the airline for less than 18 months since being appointed in November 2020. Aeroflot has not elaborated on the succession decision, confirmed during an 8 April board meeting, but Poluboyarinov was included, in early March, on a list of individuals subject to European Union sanctions, over the conflict in Ukraine. The EU says Aeroflot is an important source of revenue and services to the Russian government, and claims Poluboyarinov was among a large number of business figures who met with Russian president Vladimir Putin in the wake of the sanctions declaration – and that this demonstrates he is a member of Putin’s “closest circle”. Aeroflot points out that Poluboyarinov, formerly the chief of state lessor GTLK, led the airline through the pandemic crisis and credits him with enabling the company to improve “significantly” its production and financial performance, without compromising its development strategy.<br/>