ANA Holdings Inc. said Thursday it has appointed Senior Executive Vice President Koji Shibata to be its new president as the Japanese airline is struggling to turn around its business devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.

The 64-year-old will replace on April 1 Shinya Katanozaka, 66, who will be tapped as the chairman of the parent of All Nippon Airways Co.

The group has projected a net loss for a second straight year in fiscal 2021, which will end next month, due to shrinking travel demand caused by the pandemic.

Despite signs of recovering demand, the holding company has said the business outlook remains unclear amid the resurgence of the virus, with the Omicron variant rapidly spreading.

Shibata, a graduate from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, joined All Nippon Airways in 1982 before heading its London branch.

He became senior vice president at the holding company in 2013 and developed its business plan in the Asia-Pacific region. He later led the unit to design the group's business strategy for several years before assuming his current post last year.

All Nippon Airways also announced Shinichi Inoue, 63, will become its new president on April 1, replacing Yuji Hirako, 64, who will be vice chairman of the parent.

==Kyodo

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