Gulf Air’s board of directors has appointed Maher Al Musallam as the company’s chief executive officer.

“This is a responsibility that I do not take lightly – I am honoured to continue serving the Kingdom of Bahrain’s national carrier and, with the airline’s executive management team’s ongoing support and efforts, realising its ongoing positive transformation,” said Al Musallam. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the airline’s board of directors and the Bahraini government for entrusting us with this responsibility that we highly appreciate.”

According to Gulf Air, Al Musallam joined the airline as deputy CEO and has been the acting CEO since December 2012. He was instrumental in lowering the airline’s annual losses as part of a restructuring strategy in 2013.

The board has also appointed Sahar Ataei as chief financial officer, Ahmed Janahi as chief commercial officer and Jamal Hashim as chief technical officer, according to Gulf Air.