SalamAir Chief Adrian Manns Nominated as PIA New CEO, Expected to Take Charge by End of October

Karachi: PIA is about to get a new captain after privatisation. Adrian Hamilton Manns, the chief executive of Oman’s low-cost carrier SalamAir, has been nominated as PIA new CEO, and sources say he is expected to take charge by the end of October once his security and other clearances are processed. There has been no formal announcement yet, which is why airline circles are calling this a nomination rather than a confirmed appointment.

Who is Manns?

Manns has run SalamAir since July 2024. Before that he was president and chief executive of Kazakhstan’s Fly Arystan, founded the African low-fare carrier flyafrica.com, and held senior commercial roles at IndiGo, South African Airways and Virgin Australia’s Pacific Blue. He began his career at Air New Zealand in 1997 and describes himself as an airline turnaround specialist. Most of his experience is in low-cost carriers; PIA, by contrast, is a full-service airline.

The first big appointment since privatisation

PIA passed into private management on June 29, 2026, when the Arif Habib Corporation-led investor consortium took management control. The new owners’ first choice had been former Ethiopian Airlines chief Tewolde Gebremariam, but he joined Air India as its chief executive in August, and the search had to start again. Pulling PIA out of decades of losses, an ageing fleet and operational inefficiency will be the new chief’s real test.