UAE national airline Etihad Airways has appointed Gianni Tronza as its new general manager for Switzerland effective immediately.

In his new role, Gianni Tronza will be based in Zurich, where he will lead Etihad’s expanded commercial operations in Switzerland following the introduction of daily flights to Zurich in June, said a statement from Etihad.

Alessandro Liverani will continue to lead the airline’s sales team in the French part of Switzerland, Geneva, and also take part in commercial co-operation projects with network partner, Alitalia. Liverani will directly report into Tronza, it added.

Bringing a wealth of industry experience to the airline, Tronza previously worked at American Airlines for over 15 years, where he held various senior positions, including regional sales director. Prior to that, he worked in managerial positions at Crossair (Swissair) and British Airways.

After graduating from the Swiss Business School and SAWI in Switzerland, Tronza completed his DBA/MBA studies at the University of Lancaster in the United Kingdom.

He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a degree in Marketing, and is fluent in English, Spanish, German, Italian and French.  

Welcoming Tronza into the team, chief commercial officer Peter Baumgartner said: "His knowledge and experience in the aviation industry is invaluable and I am confident he will make a significant contribution to the growth of Etihad’s operations in Switzerland as well as in Europe."

Etihad Airways commenced operations to Switzerland in June 2004 with daily flights between Geneva and Abu Dhabi. In June this year, Etihad launched its daily non-stop service to Zurich.-TradeArabia News Service