Omar Jahameh resigns as RAK Airways CEO

Omar Jahameh has resigned as chief executive officer of RAK Airways, it has been confirmed.

In a written statement, Jahameh confirmed to ArabianSupplyChain.com that he exited from the UAE-based airline with a “heavy heart”.

“I wish RAK Airways all the best, but I felt that it’s the right time for me to move on and pursue other options,” he commented.

Jahameh’s replacement, John Brayford, has been described by RAK Airways as “an exceptional talent in aviation operations” and will be officially introduced at the forthcoming Arabian Travel Market (ATM) exhibition in Dubai next week.

RAK Airways was initially launched in February 2006, with total capital of AED1.5 billion, of which AED850 million was paid-up capital. The airline’s original chief executive was Jack Romero, who wanted to commence operations the following year with a fleet of two aircraft. However, with delays in obtaining an Airline Operators Certificate (AOC), a management decision was made to replace Romero with Indian aviation veteran Kishu Teckchandani, who managed to secure the AOC, but exited the company before its inaugural flight to Dhaka in November 2007 – only four months into the job.

Management responsibility was then shifted to RAK Airways chief operating officer Captain Khalid Almeer, with new routes launched and orders signed for Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Progress was brought to a sudden halt with the global recession later that year, resulting in staff redundancies and ultimately, the suspension of scheduled services.

Little is known about the company’s operations between this time and June 2010, when the re-launch was revealed with Jahameh as chief executive, apart from the fact that an interim CEO, Kristian Kirchheiner, was appointed and disappeared soon afterwards.