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The
company, which had announced in January only that the two
Australians were leaving some time in the second half of the
year, said it had appointed insiders Ray Gammell as interim
group chief executive and Ricky Thirion as interim group
financial officer.
The temporary replacements come less than a week after Italy's
Alitalia [CAITLA.UL], 49 percent owned by Etihad, filed for
special administration for the second time in less than a decade
after workers rejected its latest rescue plan.
Alitalia was one of Etihad's key investments as it raced to
catch up with fast-growing rivals Emirates [EMIRA.UL] and Qatar
Airways by buying into several foreign carriers, including the
Italian carrier and Air Berlin <AB1.DE>, but the Abu Dhabi-owned
airline said last week it was not willing to invest further in
Alitalia.
Gammell is to continue with a strategic review begun last year
though a permanent group CEO is expected to be announced in the
"next few weeks", Chairman Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel al-Mazrouei
said in a statement.
Gulf airlines have seen growth slow over the past two years
against a more challenging economic backdrop. Lower fuel prices
dented demand for high-margin premium cabins as Middle East
travel budgets tightened, while East to West traffic, an
important route for Gulf carriers, diminished after a wave of
militant attacks in Europe and Turkey.
Gammell, who joined the Abu Dhabi airline in 2009, currently
serves as the group's Chief People & Performance Officer and is
a member of the Executive Leadership.
Thirion, who joined the airline in 2007, currently serves as
Senior Vice President, Group Treasurer.
An Etihad spokesman said that Thirion had also been appointed on
an interim basis without saying when a permanent replacement for
Rigney would be made.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Louise Heavens,
Greg Mahlich)
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