Royal Jordanian CEO Pichler Is Said to Have Resigned Last Month
Royal Jordanian CEO Pichler Is Said to Have Resigned Last Month
(Bloomberg) -- Stefan Pichler resigned as Royal Jordanian Airlines chief executive officer at the end of September, the company said in a statement.
Pichler, 63, joined the Amman-based company in 2017 and returned the airline to profitability by changing its pricing strategy and lowering operational costs. The airline’s load factor rose to 74.2% in 2019, a record high.
The Middle-Eastern carrier has since been hammered by closures prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. It reported a loss of 67.4 million dinars ($95 million) in the first half of the year compared with a profit of 1.4 million dinars a year earlier.
Pichler resigned on Sept. 30 and plans to retire, the company said. Prior to joining Royal Jordanian, he led airlines including Air Berlin Plc and Jazeera Airways, and held various senior roles at Virgin Australia.
Royal Jordanian said it has started searching for a replacement. The company said Chairman Said Samih Darwazah will act as interim president and CEO.
Jordan had strict restrictions in place to help curb the spread of the pandemic and the airport was closed for almost six months. Operations resumed last month, but travelers flying into the country still have to quarantine at home for seven days.
The country added 1,199 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, taking its total confirmed infections to 20,200.
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