NEW YORK – Brigadier General Elyezer Shkedi has been appointed president and CEO of El Al Israel Airlines, replacing Haim Romano, who resigned after holding that position for 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 fighter pilot, will assume his new position in January. He holds a bachelor in mathematics and computer science from Ben Gurion University and a master’s degree in systems management from the Naval Post Graduate School (NPS) in Monterey, CA. Shkedi most recently served as commander-in-chief of the Israeli Air Force.

Amikam Cohen, chair of EL AL, along with the board members, expressed appreciation for Romano’s success in advancing EL AL to a world-class airline.

Celebrating more than 60 years of service, EL AL flies to more than 40 destinations from Israel and serves dozens of other locations via partnerships with other carriers. The airline has annual revenues of about $1.93 billion and carries more than 1.8 million passengers yearly.

For more information, visit elal.com or call at 1-800-223-6700.