Ahmet Bolat has been appointed new chairperson of the Turkish Airlines (THY) board and executive committee after his predecessor stepped down from the post, a statement said on Thursday.

The decision came during a board meeting of the national flag carrier, after Mehmet Ilker Aycı resigned from the post.

Aycı had been the chairperson of the carrier since April 2015.

Bolat, who completed his doctorate at Michigan University in the Industrial Engineering field, joined Turkish Airlines in 2005 and has served in several positions.

He had been the chief investment and technology officer in the company since 2012.

Bolat has also been the deputy chairperson of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) since May 2018.

"I would like to extend my thanks to board members for entrusting this duty to me. I am well aware of the responsibilities and duties it brings along with its significance," Bolat said.

Meanwhile, Mehmet Kadaifçiler and Şekib Avdagiç, the chairperson of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO), were also appointed new board members following resignations of Mehmet Muzaffer Akpınar and Mithat Görkem Aksoy.

Kadaifçiler has also been named Chief Flight Operations Officer.

Established in 1933, Turkish Airlines flies to 334 worldwide destinations in 128 countries with a fleet of 373 aircraft.

THY's passengers totaled around 45 million in 2021, down 39.7% compared with 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic struck. Its load factor was 67.9% last year, down by some 14 percentage points from 2019.