People: Air Belgium promotes Chachati to CEO

Air Belgium has promoted Georges Chachati to chief executive to succeed Niky Terzakis , who held the role for nearly a decade. [caption id="attachment_57292103" align="alignright" width="236"] Georges Chachati[/caption] Terzakis will serve as an adviser and accountable manager for the next few months to assist the transition, he said in an Oct. 1 LinkedIn post. Chachati has served as Air Belgium’s chief financial officer for nearly ten years. He previously held leadership roles at TNT Airways and Deloitte . He became CEO of Air Belgium on Oct. 1. CMA CGM acquired Air Belgium and its cargo business in April, preserving the Air Belgium brand. Gunn to direct commercial ops for Air One [caption id="attachment_57292102" align="alignright" width="235"] Clair Gunn[/caption] Air One appointed Clair Gunn commercial operations director as it works to strengthen its air charter, scheduled cargo and wet lease operations globally, according to an Oct. 3 release from the carrier. In her new role, Gunn is responsible for fleet capacity planning, network and schedule design, and driving revenue performance across both charter and scheduled services, the release said. She will also work closely with the management teams of Air One’s subsidiary and affiliate airlines to optimize fleet utilization. Gunn, who joined Air One in January 2023, most recently was deputy head of charters, according to the release. With more than twenty-five years of experience in the aviation industry, Gunn has held leadership roles at CargoLogicAir and Volga-Dnepr Group . Preet to oversee planning, engineering, transformation at FedEx [caption id="attachment_57292106" align="alignright" width="255"] Kawal Preet[/caption] FedEx appointed Kawal Preet as executive vice president of planning, engineering and transformation, effective Oct. 1. In her new role, Preet will be responsible for the DRIVE framework and initiatives. DRIVE is a cost-cutting initiative FedEx launched in 2022. Preet will also oversee a global centralized planning and engineering function focused on network integration. Preet, who has been with FedEx for more than twenty-eight years, was regional president of the Asia Pacific region since 2020. A successor for this role will be named at a later date, the release said. Berry to become COO of Alaska Air Group [caption id="attachment_57292100" align="alignright" width="206"] Andy Schneider[/caption] [caption id="attachment_57292105" align="alignright" width="192"] Jason Berry[/caption] Alaska Air Group has promoted Jason Berry to chief operating officer, effective Nov. 3. He succeeds Constance von Muehlen , who is retiring after joining Alaska in 2011 and becoming COO in 2021, according to a Sept. 26 release. Von Muehlen will stay on at Alaska until February in an advisory capacity. With more than thirty years in the industry, Berry was president of regional airline Horizon Air , a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group, since November 2023. He also is EVP of cargo for Alaska Air Group, a role he will keep. Berry has previously held leadership roles at Air Canada , Cargolux and McGee Air Services . Andy Schneider will succeed Berry as CEO and president of Horizon Air. Schneider is senior vice president of people at Alaska Airlines and has been with the group for more than thirty-five years. Herrera named managing director at Awesome Cargo [caption id="attachment_57292101" align="alignright" width="272"] Carlos Herrera[/caption] Mexican carrier Awesome Cargo has appointed Carlos Herrera as managing director, according to an Oct. 1 post on LinkedIn. Herrera joined Awesome in the role in July. He oversees day-to-day operations and implements strategies to improve performance, according to the carrier. With nearly thirty years of experience in the aviation industry, Herrera has held leadership positions at Aerocharter de Mexico , Logikoss , ECS Group , Aeromexico , Volaris and Mas Air . Barolia named EVP cargo for North America at Swissport [caption id="attachment_57292099" align="alignright" width="240"] Ajay Barolia[/caption] Swissport has named Ajay Barolia as EVP cargo for North America, according to a Sept. 22 release. Barolia joined Swissport in June 2024 as SVP for North America. He has thirty years of industry experience, including leadership roles at Qatar Airways ; OHL , now Geodis ; and British Midland International . Barolia will focus on modernization, sustainability and growth, according to the release. He wants Swissport to become “synonymous with digital, green and resilient cargo operations,” he said. Gherdovich to head strategy at Grid Aero [caption id="attachment_57292104" align="alignright" width="259"] James Gherdovich[/caption] Autonomous aircraft developer Grid Aero named James “Gherdo” Gherdovich , a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, as the company’s new chief strategy officer. Gherdovich’s twenty-six years of service in the USAF focused on logistics and sustaining special operations forces units, according to a Sept. 10 release. He retired from the USAF as deputy director of the Air Force Special Operations Command. Cargo Facts Symposium, the quintessential event for stakeholders and key leaders in the global freighter and air cargo industries, will take place Oct. 22-24 at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville . Learn more and register today to attend this key industry event. Cargo Facts LATAM 2026, the essential event for stakeholders in Latin America, will take place Feb. 10-12 at the Marquis Reforma in Mexico City. Learn more and register by Dec. 19 to take advantage of early-bird pricing.

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