Naf makes shock departure from Gulf Air as Majali named as CEO

24 hours later he was at his family home in Switzerland  checking his personal strategic plan with head hunters after it was announced he was to be replaced as the operational head of the airline by Samer Majali who resigned as CEO of Royal Jordanian last weekend.

Majali will remain in the Amman post  until August 1 following which he will move to Manama and begin the task of moving Gulf Air to a new level. Until Majali arrives in Bahrain Talal Al Zain, Gulf Air's Chairman, will manage the business in the temporary position of Executive Chairman.

In an annoucnement by Gulf Air, Al Zain said: "I would like to thank Björn Näf for his leadership over the last two years and we wish him well in his future endeavors. Moving forward, we have important plans for the future of Gulf Air and we believe Samer is the right leader to take the airline forward as we move into the next phase of our strategy to rebuild the business.'

"'I'm delighted to welcome Samer to the team as he brings an exceptional track record of successfully managing a leading Middle Eastern carrier. His skills will help us to build towards a strong future for Gulf Air,' he concluded.

Majali has developed a strong reputation as a leading player in the air trransport industry. Until June he was chairman of IATA, he is a former president of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation and has beeninfluential in the transformation of Royal Jordanian into a privatised airline and taking it into One World - the first Middle Eastern airline to join a major global alliance.
 

Former Swiss executive Naf will be missed. He was instrumental in implementing several key initiatives towards Gulf Air's ambitious realignment programme and told the London Aviation Club on Wednesday that plans for the furture were based around consolidation, collaboration and creativity.

He said he beleived the global recession could be the best thig to have happened tp the airline industry.

"It is a catayst for radical change, the wake-up call the entire industry needs to respond to. We now have the opportunity to implement tough measures that will stand the test of time and not simply limp on until the next economic natural or political crisis or disaster arrives."

The airline is fully-owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain and Naf said he had been given a clear mandate to "fly the airline into profitability". He said his goal was to "take the tough decisions required to reshape the airline from National Flag Carrier to profit-driven 21st century airline."