Alitalia has appointed aviation industry turnaround expert Cramer Ball as its new Chief Executive.
Ball will leave his post at India's Jet Airways to take up his new role in early March, it is anticipated, succeeding Silvano Cassano who resigned this September after less than a year in the job.
Cassano was picked when Etihad Airways agreed to buy a 49% stake in Alitalia as part of a €1.76bn (US$1.91bn) rescue plan.
Ball has spent more than 20 years in the industry and is expected to pilot Alitalia's return to profitability by 2017, a target the airline confirmed on December 17.
