Turkish Airlines has appointed Bilal Ekşi, 48, the head of the country's civil aviation authority, as the new general manager replacing chief executive officer Temel Kotil.

Kotil, who was also the Turkish Airlines Group general manager and vice chairman of the executive board, stepped down from his post yesterday (October 21), said a statement from the national carrier.

He earlier worked as the chief ground operations officer at Turkish Airlines for two years where he did a commendable job carrying out projects particularly in improvement of the on-time departure performance, it stated.
 
Soon after graduation from the department of Electronics and Communications Engineering of Yıldız Technical University in 1989, Ekşi began his career as an electronics and communications engineer at Turkish State Railways.

He was then made the workshop manager at Istanbul Ulasim AS, where he played an active role in realisation of significant transport projects such as the project of purchasing Metro and Streetcar vehicles and the project of Metro Workshop establishment.
 
Ekşi later became the head of Overhaul Workshops at Turkish Airlines in 2003, where he led a significant organisation carrying out the maintenance of aircraft engines, landing gears and all components.

He then served as the chief production officer at Turkish Airlines between 2008 - 2009, and as the general manager of Cyprus Turkish Airlines as part of the reorganisation of Cyprus Turkish Airlines between 2009 - 2010, said the national carrier in its statement.

He was also the assistant general manager at Turkish Engine Center, established by the joint venture of Pratt Whitney, the American Engine manufacturer, and Turkish Technic between 2010 - 2011, it added.-TradeArabia News Service