Delta Names Tony Charaf Chief Cargo Officer

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Aug 02, 2012, 11:00 ET

ATLANTA, Aug. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) has named Tony Charaf Chief Cargo Officer, replacing Neel Shah, who recently stepped down from the position. Charaf, a 16-year veteran of the company including four years as head of Delta Cargo, will maintain his current role as President – TechOps MRO.

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"We are fortunate to have someone, in Tony, whose successful track record for business growth is matched by his desire for employee inclusion," said Ed Bastian, Delta's president. "Under his leadership, Delta Cargo is poised to continue its commitment to reliable operations and excellent customer service. As Delta continues to evolve our business to achieve solid financial results, our commitment to building a world-class Cargo business remains a key element of our success."

Charaf joined Delta in 1996 as director – Engine Maintenance and served in positions of increasing responsibility, including senior vice president - Delta Air Logistics from 2000 to 2004. As president – Delta TechOps, Charaf successfully reengineered Technical Operations and built the Delta TechOps Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) business to more than $600 million in annual revenue. Today as President – Delta TechOps MRO, Charaf is responsible for continuing to drive the profitable growth of Delta's MRO business.

Charaf's prior Delta experience includes positions with Pacific Airmotive Corporation and Ryder Airline Services/Aviall. He earned his bachelor's degree in Engineering, holds an A&P license as well as a private pilot license and received a master's degree in Management from Northrop University. Charaf also sits on several non-profit boards including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Carter Center in Atlanta and the Red Cross Atlanta Chapter. In addition, he serves on the advisory board of the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

Charaf will work closely with Ray Curtis, who has been promoted to vice president – Cargo Sales, to continue improving Delta's Cargo business which leverages the size and scope of the airline's global network to efficiently ship thousands of tons of cargo and mail each day. Shah will serve in a consultant role to assist with a smooth transition to the new Cargo leadership team.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. Delta was named domestic "Airline of the Year" by the readers of Travel Weekly magazine, was named the "Top Tech-Friendly U.S. Airline" by PCWorld magazine for its innovation in technology and won the Business Travel News Annual Airline Survey. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to more than 330 destinations in 61 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $3 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.