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.

Shibata, 64, told a press conference that the parent of All Nippon Airways Co. is aiming to return to a net profit in fiscal 2022, starting in April, and end wage cuts introduced amid the pandemic.

He will replace on April 1 Shinya Katanozaka, 66, who will be tapped as the chairman of the holding company.

"I will raise income for the entire group by expanding ANA's economic zone," said Shibata, a fluent English and Chinese speaker who has long experience in the company's international section and was involved in collaborations with overseas airlines.

He plans to enhance its non-aviation business, looking to introduce a smartphone app that would allow users to earn air mileage through daily shopping and to launch services to provide travel experiences in virtual space.

ANA Holdings has projected a group 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.

Also Thursday, All Nippon Airways 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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