Former Virgin Blue chief commercial officer Stefan Pichler has been appointed as Fiji Airways’ new CEO.
Pichler has a strong record in the industry both in Australia and most recently in the Middle East. He was integral to the rise of Virgin Blue in the domestic market during his five-years with the airline and in 2009 led the recovery of Kuwait-based Jazeera Airways, which he leaves as one of the region’s most successful airlines.
Fiji Airways chairman Nalin Patel said Pichler’s appointment was based on his record of turning businesses around and “growing them to new levels’’, a key strategy for the relaunched Fiji carrier.
Pichler, who takes up his new role on September 1, replaces David Pflieger who returned to the US in May to head Florida’s Silver Airways.
