* Japan Airlines chairman Isao Kaneko will retire from the company's board on 31 May. The board has appointed him senior adviser to the JAL group from 1 June. Kaneko was chief executive of the JAL group until the beginning of April.

* City Hopper Airports Group has appointed Gary Hall group managing director. He was previously group operations director. Walter Stark has been appointed managing director aviation services, heading a new division of City Hopper Airports, while retaining responsibility for business development and marketing.

* Alcatel Space has named Rear Adm Benoît Montanié defence and security adviser.

* Eurospace, the association of the European space industry, has reappointed Pascale Sourisse as president. Sourisse is president of Alcatel's space activities and president and chief executive of Alcatel Space. Stefan Graul, EADS Space Transportation vice-president business development, has been named vice-president of Eurospace.

* Boeing has named David Koopersmith vice-president and programme manager of the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) X-45 programme.

* French industry association Gifas has chosen Charles Edelstenne, president and chief executive of Dassault Aviation, to take over as president from EADS co-chief executive Philippe Camus. Thales chief executive Denis Ranque has been named senior vice-president. Gifas has named Zodiac chairman Jean-Louis Gérondeau as president of Gifas's defence electronics and systems group GEADESDS.

* Bombardier Aerospace has appointed Peter Likoray sales director for new and pre-owned aircraft in Canada. He will take on complete sales responsibility for Learjet, Challenger and Global business jets in Canada.

* Law firm Stephenson Harwood has appointed Guy Liddle to boost its growing aircraft finance and aviation practice. Liddle joins from Lovells, where he was a partner in the asset finance team in the banking group, working on aviation finance.

* Sir Adrian Swire has retired as director of Cathay Pacific Airways after 40 years. Swire, who served as chairman of John Swire & Sons until the end of last year, joined Cathay shareholder Swire Group in 1956 and was first appointed a director of the carrier in 1965. Swire Group currently owns 45% of Cathay Pacific.

Source: Flight International