Etihad Airways Appoints New General Manager for Cyprus

Etihad Airways has appointed Rashed Saif Al Shabi as its new General Manager for Cyprus.

The appointment of Mr Al Shabi follows the recent announcement that Etihad Airways’ former General Manager for Cyprus, John Evans, would take up the airline’s position of General Manager for the Philippines.

Mr Al Shabi has held several key positions in the UAE and abroad. Prior to joining Etihad Airways in July 2009 as Business Development Manager, he held various management positions at the Dubai Islamic Bank.

In 2010, and in his role as Business Development Manager, he relocated to Etihad Airways’ Amman office.

Mr Al Shabi was appointed Etihad Airways’ General Manager for the Seychelles in January 2011, establishing the station and holding both commercial and operational responsibilities. He was also instrumental in developing and implementing Etihad Airways’ partnership with Air Seychelles, in which the UAE flag carrier owns a 40 per cent stake.

Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer of Etihad Airways, said he was delighted to welcome Mr Al Shabi to the airline’s Europe commercial leadership team.

“The Larnaca-Abu Dhabi route plays an important role in Etihad Airways' network and provides a vital trade, tourism and cultural link between the UAE, the GCC and Cyprus. “Rashed Saif Al Shabi has a proven track record within the industry and great passion for what he does. We are looking forward to his leadership and commitment bringing even greater results to our operations in the Cyprus market.”

Etihad Airways commenced operations from Larnaca to Abu Dhabi in June 2009. The UAE flag carrier flies three times a week between the two cities, operating a two-cabin Airbus A320 aircraft. Flights operate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.