Nickolai Shipil replaces Yury Lengaro as Director General

Published: 5/17/2000

Nickolai Shipil has been appointed as the new General Director of Vnukovo Airport-based GTK (State Transport Company) Rossiya, replacing Yury Lengaro who resigned after being criticised for the departure of pilots from the government airline. Shipil, who is 45 years old, graduated from the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) Financial and Economic Institute with an economics degree in 1980, joining Pulkovo Airlines based in St Petersburg. During the period 1990 -1997, he was head of the air company's international transportation organisation department and between 1997-1999, deputy director of the flight maintenance facility and responsible for the air company's commercial and marketing activities. In September 1999, Shipil was appointed as Pulkovo regional representative for Northern Europe, leaving the company in April 2000. According to some reports Shipil has been awarded his new position at the state-owned airline responsible for carrying government ministers, through the recommendation of fellow St Petersburgher President Putin. A move that is likely to reinforce the view that the new president is making sure that he can trust people around him, even when it comes to the provision of his air travel.

Article ID: 1780