“We have already initiated the necessary actions to improve our profitability and reduce our costs …we will continue to consistently follow this path. The remodeling of the airberlin management board is an important element of the new strategy,” CEO Stefan Pichler said in a statement.

The carrier appointed Neil Mills as chief strategy & planning officer, taking over responsibility for network planning and alliances, procurement and subsidiaries Leisure Cargo and airberlin Technik as well as facility management. Mils is formerly Flydubai CFO and SpiceJet CEO. Most recently, he joined Philippine Airlines Group as chief executive advisor to lead their turnaround team.

Oliver Iffert has been appointed chief operations officer (COO), leading flight operations, cabin crew, network operations, airport operations and maintenance systems. Iffert, a pilot, had been most recently Etihad Airways VP-flight operations.

As accountable manager, Oliver Lackmann continues to hold the overall executive responsibility for running all operational activities, including flight operations, crew planning and training as well as operations compliance and safety, aviation security and network operations.

Marco Ciomperlik will take over the newly created position of director-group synergies, focusing of the commercial and administrative level of networking among the European airberlin partner airlines and will work closely together with CEOs of all partner airlines.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways owns a 29.2% stake in oneworld member airberlin, which is one of its partner carriers.