Safi Airways the international airline of Afghanistan has announced four executive management appointments as part of its strategic expansion plan for the region, and to increase the airline's competitiveness and cater to the rapid growth in the demand for air travel in the region. The new appointments include John Roijen as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Christoph Blaha as Director Maintenance, Tom De Geytere as Chief Development Officer (CDO) and Christoph Götzmann as Vice President of Cargo and General Manager for Europe.
Claus Fischer, CCO Safi Airways said, "The appointment of these seasoned professionals from the aviation industry underline Safi Airways' growth and expansion strategy for the region and internationally. These industry specialists bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge, and Safi Airways is bound to benefit from their expertise.
John Roijen has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer at Safi Airways and will overlook the Finance and Administration. A Dutch national, John holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from the Henley Business School, and is a highly experienced aviation industry expert having served as CFO for Virgin Nigeria Airways and Arik Airways. John is an accomplished finance professional with more than 15 years of experience, successfully directing substantial growth, streamlining global operations, building productive financial operations and increasing business development with exceptional expertise in financial analysis, contract negotiations, business reengineering, and operations management.
Safi Airways' Chief Development Officer (CDO), Tom De Geytere began his career as a military pilot with the Belgian Air Force, and will be responsible for business development, fleet development, cargo and legal affairs. Prior to joining Safi Airways, Tom served as the Manager of Business Development at Cargolux, the largest cargo airline in the world.
Christoph Blaha, Safi Airways' newly appointed Director of Maintenance has a Doctorate Degree for Research on aero engine compressors from Darmstadt, Germany and is vastly experienced, having held several positions at Lufthansa Technik in Frankfurt - Germany prior to joining Safi Airways. Christoph comes with extensive knowledge in aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul.
Christoph Goetzmann appointed as VP Cargo and General Manager for Europe region comes with years of experience in the aviation field especially in areas such as Cargo, Ground Operations, and Flight Operations. Christoph has held several positions before joining Safi at Ukraine International Airlines, Aer Lingus and Fraport.
Fischer further added, "Safi Airways has grown manifold in the last one year with increased load factors on various routes, increased network destinations, interline agreements and increase in fleet. We are confident that these new appointments will only help strengthen our presence in the region and enhance Safi Airways' positioning within the region's aviation industry."
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About Safi Airways:
Safi Airways (IATA Code 4Q) is the leading international airline of Afghanistan. Headquartered in Kabul and Dubai (UAE) is the first Afghan airline to be compliant with the safety standards of the international Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Safi Airways operates scheduled and charter services and offers cargo space on its flights. The senior management includes COO Mr. Werner Borchert, CCO Mr. Claus Fischer and Chief Development Officer Mr. Tom deGeytere who all are well seasoned European airline experts. Apart from Kabul, the airline serves Frankfurt, Dubai, Kuwait, and Doha at present. Bookings can be made online (www.safiairways.com) and through major GDS with all IATA travel agents worldwide.
For Media Enquiries kindly contact:
Sharon Pereira/ Fadwa Zidi
sharon@matrixdubai.com/ fadwa@matrixdubai.com
or call 04-3430888
© Press Release 2010
