Expats in the Cockpit: Is the Gulf Aviation CEO Trend a ‘Foreigner Complex’ or Economic Pragmatism?

While foreign expertise steers the operation, sovereignty remains with National Boards, targeting smart growth and profitability.

The Gulf aviation sector has undergone a seismic shift in recent years, pivoting from a “race for capacity” to an era of smart growth, where achieving real profitability has become the true measure of strength. At the heart of this transformation, foreign CEOs now command the top tier of the pyramid in 7 out of the GCC’s 14 commercial carriers.

Does this reliance on international expertise reflect a gap in local talent, an entrenched preference for expatriate credentials, or simple economic pragmatism—compressing decades of global experience into a few short years? This analysis examines the identities of these eight leaders, the reasons behind their appointments, and the role of boards in setting the strategy.

There are 14 companies in the six Gulf states:

Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, Saudia, flynas, flyadeal, Riyadh Air, Qatar Airways, Kuwait Airways, Jazeera Airways , Bahrain’s Gulf Air , Oman Air which operates with SalamAir

Etihad Aviation Group: Antonoaldo Neves (Brazil)

The list of UAE-based carriers led by foreign CEOs includes Etihad Aviation Group, the parent company of Etihad Airways. Based in Abu Dhabi, the national carrier is led by Brazilian national Antonoaldo Neves, who assumed the role in 2022. Neves brings extensive turnaround and operational expertise from global European markets, having previously served as CEO of TAP Air Portugal and Azul in Brazil. At TAP, he led a major restructuring that returned the airline to profitability, while at Azul, he oversaw rapid growth and the company’s successful IPO on the New York Stock Exchange.

Neves is currently leading the Etihad 2030 strategy, which is focused on transforming the airline into a major global competitor. The plan aims to double passenger numbers and achieve substantial growth in both fleet size and destination network, positioning Etihad Airways for long-term international expansion.

Saudi Arabia

Riyadh Air: Tony Douglas (UK) (Leading the Transformation)

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, British national Tony Douglas has led the Kingdom’s newest carrier, Riyadh Air, since its establishment in 2023, overseeing the foundational phase through to its scheduled official launch in 2025. Douglas was brought with profound transformational experience, having previously headed Etihad Aviation Group, Abu Dhabi Airports, and London Heathrow Airport.

Douglas is currently driving Riyadh Air’s ambition to become a fully digital global connectivity hub, targeting 100 destinations by 2030, with a focus on sustainability and modern technologies to rival the region’s major players.

It’s worth noting that Riyadh Air has officially articulated its ambition to become a digitally led global airline by embedding advanced technologies — including AI capabilities — into its core operations from the outset rather than adopting legacy systems. In partnership with IBM and other tech providers, the airline is building AI‑native processes for passenger and employee interactions, data‑driven decision making, and operational agility.

Flyadeal: Steven Greenway (UK) (Expansion Plan)

Fellow Briton Steven Greenway took the helm at flyadeal (a subsidiary of Saudia Group) in January 2024. He is an international expert with 25 years of experience in the Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) sector, having led global airlines such as Scoot and WestJet. During his leadership, he contributed to improving operational efficiency, expanding the route network, and increasing aircraft operational reliability. He also led programs to streamline operations and enhance the passenger experience, which helped strengthen financial performance and sustainable growth for both airlines.)

Greenway is currently leading flyadeal’s international expansion plan, focusing on maximising and transforming the carrier into a fully tech-enabled company reliant on digital solutions. This aligns with the carrier’s identity, which targets high operational efficiency and profitability within the LCC model.

Oman

Australian Leadership: Modernising Commercial Performance

In the Sultanate of Oman, foreign leadership is driving the modernisation of commercial performance, enhancing profitability, and expanding the airline’s connections to broader international networks.

Oman Air: Con Korfiatis (Australia)

Australian Con Korfiatis has headed Oman Air (wholly owned by the government via the Oman Investment Authority) since May 2024. He is an international expert whose track record includes the successful establishment of Saudi Arabia’s flyadeal. Korfiatis is leading a strategic turnaround plan aimed at reducing losses and achieving financial sustainability in line with Vision 2040. His efforts culminated in the airline joining the oneworld alliance in June 2025, linking Muscat to 900 global destinations, coinciding with a fleet restructuring.

Meanwhile, Adrian Hamilton-Manns from New Zealand has led SalamAir since March 2024, leveraging over 30 years of international experience leading major budget carriers such as India’s IndiGo and Saudi Arabia’s flynas

Hamilton-Manns is currently executing a strategy of close integration and cooperation with Oman Air; SalamAir focuses on short and medium-haul destinations using an economic model to avoid harmful competition and maximise the efficiency of the Sultanate’s aviation and tourism sectors. SalamAir is a closed joint-stock company owned by investment funds and Omani government and private entities. The low-cost model is relatively new to the Omani market, requiring leadership with international operational experience to build an effective model linked to national tourism policy.

Kuwait

Jazeera Airways: Barathan Pasupathi (Singapore)

In Kuwait, Singaporean Barathan Pasupathi has led Jazeera Airways since March 2024. Pasupathi, known for his 30+ years of experience, including a decade as CEO of Jetstar Asia in Singapore, in addition to his strong background as a former CFO, aligns with the company’s cost-control model. Pasupathi is currently overseeing Jazeera’s ambitions to expand into Central and South Asian markets, while managing the fleet modernisation phase with A320neo aircraft and the development of the airline’s dedicated terminal (T5) at Kuwait International Airport. Jazeera Airways is listed on Boursa Kuwait, owned by private sector shareholders, with the Boodai Group as the largest shareholder and founder. (Knowing that Boodai Real Estate has submitted an offer to purchase all shares from the other shareholders. The Board of Directors has recommended considering the offer, but it has not yet been executed or finalised. Sustaining its growth, profitability, and competitive agility depends on the strength of its professional executive leadership team.

Bahrain

Gulf Air: Martin Gauss (Germany)

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, is wholly owned by the government via its investment arm, Mumtalakat. It is currently led by German CEO Martin Gauss, known for his deep international experience and proven track record in successfully managing and turning around European airlines, most notably demonstrated during his successful leadership of airBaltic.

Gauss has been tasked with a strategic mission to modernise the carrier’s operational processes and develop its performance to ensure competitive sustainability in a challenging global aviation market.

Economic Pragmatism and the Logic of Smart Growth

The reasons behind these choices can be attributed to four key factors:

The Gulf states view the foreign CEO as a rapid knowledge transfer tool, compressing decades of experience into a few years. These executives transfer knowledge from mature global companies to emerging or transforming carriers, as seen with Tony Douglas at Riyadh Air, to ensure immediate global operational readiness. (There are reports indicating the signing of a memorandum of understanding with a Saudi educational institution to enhance training and develop skills in the sector, which points to the transfer of expertise and knowledge to the local workforce.)

Furthermore, high-profile names like Gauss or Neves bring with them deep international networks.

Global Complexity

Aviation is a cross-border industry requiring precise knowledge of international legislation and alliances often managed from global hubs. This includes “Alliance Engineering“; for example, Con Korfiatis for Oman, known for his experience in integrating airlines into alliances like oneworld, a task requiring a vast network of international relations. It also encompasses restructuring expertise; Antonoaldo Neves, renowned for transforming loss-making companies into profitable enterprises across diverse markets, brings the specialised skills essential for navigating challenging transition phases—an expertise now leveraged at Etihad.

Niche Business Models

Models such as the Ultra Low-Cost Carrier (ULCC) require a highly precise cost control. In the budget airline sector, leaders like Steven Greenway (flyadeal) and Pasupathi (Jazeera) bring deep expertise from Asian and Canadian markets where this model prevails, driving spending efficiency and profitability even with tight margins.

Regarding digital transformation, foreign leaders were chosen to build fully digital companies, where the airline functions as a tech platform for selling services—a trend requiring modern global technical expertise.

Boards of Directors: The Safety Valve

Crucially, despite the reliance on international expertise for operational management, these companies remain under direct national supervision through their Boards of Directors. These boards represent the authority and strategic safety valve, ensuring expansion aligns with national goals.

In Saudi Arabia, Riyadh Air stands as a sovereign pillar chaired by Yasir Al-Rumayyan under the supervision of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) , while flyadeal falls under Saudia Group, chaired by Eng. Saleh Al-Jasser, as a government entity serving the Kingdom’s development goals.

In the UAE, Etihad Airways is subject to the decision-making authority of the Abu Dhabi government via ADQ, chaired by Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa . Similarly, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi remains under the direct sovereign supervision of ADQ despite its international partnership.

In Oman, Oman Air enjoys sovereign decision-making authority under the umbrella of the Oman Investment Authority, chaired by Eng. Saeed Al Mawali, while SalamAir is managed through a solid Omani partnership between the public and private sectors, chaired by Dr. Anwar Al Rawas.

In Bahrain, Gulf Air operates under the oversight of Mumtalakat, with Zayed Al Zayani serving as chairman—reflecting a sovereign Bahraini mandate. Meanwhile, at Jazeera Airways, Marwan Boodai embodies the decision-making authority of Kuwait’s publicly listed private sector.

This comprehensive structure confirms that the presence of a foreign CEO is a purely technical-operational choice. Meanwhile, all major directions,from multi-billion dollar fleet acquisitions to defining strategic destinations, remain national decisions ratified by boards to ensure sovereignty and alignment with the state’s economic visions.

How Do These Boards Function?

These boards operate to ensure the “control stick” remains in the hands of the state or national owners, despite the presence of a foreign CEO, through:

Board Composition

In major government companies, Boards are chaired by high-level national figures (Ministers, Sovereign Wealth Fund chiefs, or Ruling Family members). Membership often consists of national talent in investment, law, and policy. For example, Riyadh Air is chaired by Yasir Al-Rumayyan (Governor of the PIF), who sets the major directions executed by Tony Douglas. Emirates Airlines is chaired by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, as Chairman of the Emirates Group (which also includes dnata.

The Board-CEO Relationship

The foreign CEO acts as a high-level executive of the Board. The relationship is defined by:

• Vision Setting: The Board determines “Where do we want to go?” (e.g., connecting the city to 100 destinations), while the foreign CEO determines “How do we get there?” in a technical sense.
• Approval of Major Deals: The CEO does not have the authority to sign off on multi-billion-dollar aircraft purchases without prior approval from the Board.
• Oversight and Accountability: The CEO submits periodic reports to the Board, and the Board can dismiss them if they deviate from national targets or fail to achieve the required objectives.

What is the Role of These Boards?

The objective of these boards is to ensure:

• National Security: Aviation is a sensitive sector; the Board ensures no decisions are taken that harm state interests.
• Knowledge Transfer (Saudization/Omanization of Leadership): Boards monitor training programmes, creating a national talent pipeline for future leadership positions.
• Economic Integration: Ensuring the airline serves the state’s tourism, trade, and logistics sectors, rather than merely achieving isolated financial profit.

In practice, the foreign-CEO trend is best read as a governance design: accelerate execution by importing scarce experience, while boards keep the “control stick” on strategy, risk, and sovereign objectives. But the story cannot end at the appointment letter. It ends in the metrics: board discipline on major bets, a visible succession pipeline, and measurable gains in unit cost, operational reliability, and profitability. Deliver those, and the narrative is economic pragmatism. Fail, and the region is not compressing experience—it is outsourcing it

Editors Note

Correction (6 January 2026): An earlier version of this article incorrectly described Adrian Hamilton-Manns as Australian. He is from New Zealand.