Finnair's Keijo Suila appointed Chairman of oneworld Governing Board

Finnair Chief Executive Keijo Suila was today appointed to serve as the next Chairman of the oneworld™ Governing Board – the top management tier of the world's most international airline alliance.

In his year in office, from 1 January, he will act as "first among equals" of the chief executives of the global airline alliance's eight members, who comprise some of the biggest and most highly regarded airlines in the world - American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, Iberia, Cathay Pacific, LanChile, and Aer Lingus, besides Finnair.

Between them, they account for almost 20 per cent of world's total airline industry output. Last year, oneworld's member airlines carried 230 million people and earned revenues of around US$50 billion. Employing more than a quarter of a million people, they operate 1,900 aircraft between them, with 8,700 flights a day – equivalent to a landing or departure every five seconds. oneworld serves more countries than any other alliance – 135 territories in total. It was voted the world's Best Airline Alliance by some of the world's most frequent flyers in the 2002 Business Traveller Awards, believed to be the first award for this sector of the travel industry.

Mr Suila will chair the three annual meetings of the oneworld Governing Board – including the first to be held in Finnair's Helsinki home – and lead various other alliance activities.

A key focus for the alliance during his year as Chairman will be building further on the value it adds to its member airlines – totaling US$2 billion so far in the three years since it was launched. oneworld also promises to further improvement in customer service and to unveil more fare products. It already offers more alliance fares than all the competition combined.

Mr Suila will succeed Cathay Pacific Airways' Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive David Turnbull. Chairmanship of the oneworld Governing Board rotates on an annual basis among the alliance members' chief executives