Mexico’s third largest airline Interjet has appointed Viva Air Colombia co-founder and former chief executive William Shaw as its new chief.

Shaw replaces Jose Luis Garza, who had served as Interjet’s chief executive since its launch in 2005. Garza will join the airline's board, says Interjet.

Interjet founder and president Miguel Aleman Magnani says Shaw’s arrival will usher in a “new era” in Interjet’s history, while thanking Garza for his contributions to Interjet over more than a decade.

Garza had come under fire from shareholders over his management of the airline's troubled Sukhoi Superjet fleet, which encountered several technical problems in recent years. Interjet has said it plans to phase out some of the SSJ100s, but it is still unclear how many the airline will retain.

"I am honoured to be joining the Interjet team," says Shaw in a statement. "Our 'value proposition' of offering the flying public much more for less along with the customer experience we provide business and leisure travelers have been one of the keys to differentiating Interjet from other carriers in our class, and we will continue to do so."

Shaw, a Mexican-born airline executive with more than two decades of industry experience, co-founded Viva Air Colombia and helped create Viva Air Peru. Both Viva carriers are owned by Irelandia Aviation. Prior to the Interjet appointment, Shaw was in the midst of launching a Dominican Republic low-cost start-up, Flycana.

He had also joined the board of Nigeria's Green Africa Airways.

Source: Cirium Dashboard