Cityjet, the independent European regional airline, today announced changes to its commercial management structure with the appointments of Cathal O’Connell as Commercial Director and Patrick Lukan as VP-Sales & Distribution.
Mr Lukan, who held the position of Chief Commercial Officer at the Dublin-based airline since May 2014, will oversee Cityjet’s sales and distribution activities from the airline’s new London offices, re-establishing an on-the-ground presence for the airline in the UK.
Cathal O’Connell joins Cityjet with 35 years experience in the Irish and UK aviation industry, including roles with Aer Lingus, Aer Arann/Stobart Air and Eastern Airways and more recently as Chief Executive of bmi regional. In this latter role, Cathal oversaw the airline’s transition from a subsidiary of the bmi Group into a fully independent regional airline and established it as a leading operator in the UK and European markets.
Pat Byrne, Executive Chairman of CityJet, said: “As CityJet continues its development as an independent airline, the re-establishment of a full time presence in London, from where we serve 12 destinations, is essential and I am delighted to have Patrick head up the airline’s sales and distribution functions from this location which of course is at the heart of our scheduled routes network.”
He added: “Cathal brings a wealth of experience of the Irish and UK airline industry to CityJet and I look forward to welcoming him to the CityJet team as we progressively position ourselves as a niche regional carrier providing the highest standards in delivery performance at affordable prices.”