Paul Gregorowitsch to Head Oman Air

First it was a rumor, now it has become a reality: Dutch national Paul Gregorowitsch is back on deck. He’ll take the chair at Oman Air with immediate effect, confirmed the Arabian airline in a release. Gregorowitsch’s move to Muscat comes after taking a time out last December when he decided to leave his post at loss-making carrier Air Berlin where the former Management Board Member was responsible for the carrier’s commercial activities. Commented Gregorowitsch: “I am joining Oman Air at a critical time in its development and I look forward to making a significant contribution to its prosperity and growth, as well as to Oman’s travel and tourism industry.” He went on to say: “In recent years, Oman Air’s emergence as one of the world’s leading luxury airlines has illustrated the enormous progress it has made and it will be a pleasure to work with the company’s Board of Directors and its talented and committed staff to take Oman Air through its forthcoming program of expansion.”

Welcoming the new CEO Oman Air’s Chairman, Darwish bin Ismail bin Ali Al Balushi, spoke of the start of a new chapter in the development of the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman. He said: “Mr Gregorowitsch has vast experience in international airline management and his commercial expertise will be of immense benefit to Oman Air during its current phase, as well as in its next phase, where the company will experience expansion and evolution in terms of the strength of its fleet, the destinations it flies to, its operational network and its commercial activities.”

Currently, Oman Air operates 30 aircraft, comprising seven Airbus A330s, 17 Boeing B737s, four Embraer E175s and two ATR 42s, whilst its network covers 43 destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Paul Gregorowitsch is a familiar face in the aviation landscape. Prior to joining Air Berlin, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Amsterdam-based Martinair, where he implemented successful restructuring measures to get the airline back into the black. He has also held a series of international management positions within Air France-KLM, rising to Executive Vice President Commercial. He was part of the Executive team that was responsible for amalgamating the passenger divisions of Air France and KLM, and was a member of the Alliance Steering Committee of Northwest Airlines and KLM.

Paul Gregorowitsch studied at the University of Leiden and at the Dutch Scientific Institute for Tourism and Leisure Management, in the Netherlands, and is married with three adult children.

Heiner Siegmund