Etihad Airways Appoints New GM in Singapore and Malaysia

Etihad Airways has appointed Jeffrey Lim as General Manager, Singapore, and David Walsh as General Manager, Malaysia.

Jeffrey Lim worked for three years as Etihad Airways’ General Manager for Malaysia. A Singaporean national, Jeffrey takes on the role in Singapore following the retirement of industry veteran Michael Tan who held this key position in the airline’s Asia Pacific commercial organisation for the past six years.

David Walsh succeeds Jeffrey Lim in the role of General Manager Malaysia. David moves to the Kuala Lumpur-based role from Dublin where he was Etihad Airways’ General Manager Ireland for the past year.

Both executives report to Lindsay White, the airline’s Sydney-based Vice President Asia Pacific South and Australasia.

Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, Peter Baumgartner, said the appointments ensure the airline’s continuing expansion and progress in the ASEAN region.

“Singapore and Malaysia are both fast-growing markets for Etihad Airways. This year, for example, we have grown our seat factor on the Kuala Lumpur-Abu Dhabi route by over 20% and increased frequency on the busy Singapore to Brisbane and Abu Dhabi routes from three flights a week to a daily operation,” said Mr. Baumgartner. “Jeffrey and David have delivered strong passenger numbers and revenue growth for Etihad Airways in their previous positions and we are pleased to appoint them to new roles in these two key markets. On behalf of the airline’s executive team, I’d also like to pay tribute to Michael Tan for the outstanding contribution he has made to Etihad Airways’ success in the fiercely competitive Singapore travel market over the past six years. We wish him and his family all the best.”

Jeffrey and David each have approximately two decades of experience in the global aviation and travel industries.

In addition to his role as General Manager for Malaysia, Jeffrey managed the start-up of the airline’s Chengdu and Shanghai operations as the airline’s acting General Manager China, based part-time in Beijing. He has also held management roles at Air France-KLM, Gulf Air and Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.

David has a strong background in airline sales and management and has held key positions at bmi, Travelport and Galileo in Ireland.