FJET.L Share News (FJET)

LONDON (Alliance News) - African low-cost carrier Fastjet PLC on Thursday said it has appointed Nico Bezuidenhout as its new chief executive.

The company has been searching for a new chief executive since March, when Ed Winter stepped down a week after the group had issued a profit warning for 2016, blamed on "prolonged" challenges facing the African aviation industry.

Bezuidenhout will join on August 1 from Mango Airlines, the low-cost subsidiary of South African Airways. He has been CEO of Mango since the business started trading a decade ago. During his time with Mango, he has also twice acted as interim CEO of the South African Airways business.

"The board is delighted that Nico will be joining fastjet as CEO. He brings strong commercial and strategic skills and a wealth of experience of operating a low-cost carrier. This experience, together with his detailed knowledge of the markets in which fastjet operates, will be invaluable to the company as it seeks to capture the growth opportunities in the region," said Fastjet Chairman Colin Child.

Fastjet shares were up 7.6% to 27.84 pence on the news.

By Sam Unsted; samunsted@alliancenews.com; @SamUAtAlliance

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