Government-owned Oman Air has appointed Paul Gregorowitsch as its new chief executive officer replacing Wayne Pearce, who left the company after serving more than two years as the CEO. Prior to joining Oman Air, Gregorowitsch was a management board member at Air Berlin and was tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the German carrier’s commercial activities. He has also held senior positions at Amsterdam-based airline Martinair Holland NV and Air France-KLM.

The company said that Gregorowitsch will work with the board of directors at Oman Air to oversee the airline’s second major phase of expansion that is set to start later this year with the arrival of 20 new aircraft. The national carrier’s order book includes three A330s, six B787 Dreamliners and 11 B737s, which will enable Oman Air to expand its network and increase frequencies on existing routes.

“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,” said Darwish bin Ismail bin Ali Al Balushi, chairman, Oman Air.
Oman Air’s current fleet strength stands at 30, comprising seven A330s, 17 B737s, four Embraer E175s and two ATR 42s, while its network covers 43 destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa.

The airline said in March that it will raise its capital by OMR200 million (US$520 million) after reporting an annual loss in 2013 due to continued investment in new aircraft.In a bid to cut its losses, Oman Air is also looking to spin off some of its business units such as catering, duty free, ground handling and cargo handling into separate companies, Reuters reported.