Abu Dhabi’s RoyalJet Begins Search For New CEO

Abu Dhabi-based VVIP business jet operator RoyalJet is undergoing a significant leadership shake-up following the sudden departure of CEO Shafiul Syed.

In the interim, Mohammed Husain Ahmed—who previously served as CEO before Syed’s 2024 appointment—has stepped in as acting CEO.

On Aug. 21, RoyalJet also announced the appointment of Mohammed Bin Mahfoodh Alardhi as the new chairman of the board of directors.

RoyalJet said during an interview with Arabian Aerospace that “the search for a new CEO is ongoing and under process and should be completed in due time.”

It is expected that there will be an announcement before the Dubai Airshow taking place this November.

With the company operating mainly from its fixed-based operations (FBO) / VIP Terminal at Zayed International Airport, Syed had made plenty of changes during his short term.

In 2024, the company ordered up to nine Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) ACJ320neos. That was a change from the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) of which the company is the largest private operator in the world.

Speaking in the latest issue of Arabian Aerospace published at the start of August, Syed said: “We are in a unique place as we have slots secured for the first green aircraft by the second quarter of 2026, which means another 18 months or so before we get the first aircraft interior done. So, by early 2028, we should see the first of the ACJs.”

He added: “We are actually really lucky to have those slots—if you went to Airbus now, you would be looking at a slot six or seven years from now, unless you get cancellations. So, Airbus has honored its relationship with us. This is the culmination of a 10-year process of evaluation. We’ve always looked at the competition, and Airbus has been pretty aggressive and dynamic in talking with us.”

Syed did add the company “are still very much a [BBJ] operator.”

“We have up to nine BBJs with the latest one, the RJK, being very interesting with a lot of uptake. It can fly in four different configurations—32 seats, 42 seats, 58 seats or 92 seats,” he said. “It can also fly in a cargo configuration. We are already seeing great demand for this.”