The Board of Directors of El Al Israel Airlines has announced the appointment of Brig. -Gen. [res.] Eliezer Shkedi as the airline's new president & CEO, in a statement published Tuesday.
Shkedi will replace Haim Romano, who has resigned after holding that position for the past five years.
"I see the leadership of El Al as a compelling challenge and I love challenges," Shkedi said. "I believe that El Al is a strategic asset to the State of Israel and has meaningful significance for all Israelis and for people around the globe."
Shkedi, a former fighter pilot, will prepare to take over as president in January of 2010. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Mathematics and Computer Science from Ben Gurion University in Israel and a Masters of Arts (MA) in Systems Management from the Naval Post Graduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California.
Shkedi most recently served as Commander-in-Chief of the Israeli Air Force for four years; he has been serving in the IDF since 1975.
