Virgin Australia has appointed former Queensland Rail boss Paul Scurrah as chief executive and managing director following an eight-month search.
Mr Scurrah, who has been chief executive roles of port and supply chain operator DP World Australia for the past five years, will take over from John Borghetti on March 25.
Mr Scurrah was tight-lipped on his plans for the airline on Wednesday and refused to be drawn on whether the company would privatise in the near future.
"I was recruited to run a company that is ASX-listed," he told reporters in Sydney.
"The ideas that I do have need to be calibrated around what I learn on the job."
Admitting Qantas remained a "significant" competitor, Mr Scurrah said his focus would be on his own business.
"I think (market share) is an important measure, but it's not the only measure," he said.
"The one thing I will be quite obsessed about is making sure that we have a culture where people thrive and can achieve great things that translates into very happy customers and, importantly, I'll be focused on the bottom line for our shareholders."
Mr Borghetti is stepping down after eight years in charge of the carrier, which lost $681 million in the last financial year but hopes to report a first-half profit next week.
Asked if breaking even would be a priority for him as chief executive, Mr Scurrah remained taciturn.
But chairman Elizabeth Bryan said on Wednesday the company is confident that Mr Scurrah can deliver the next phase of its strategy.
"The board received enormous interest in the role both locally and internationally and Paul's highly relevant transport and logistics expertise, and strong commercial background, make him the ideal candidate to consolidate the group's achievements and continue to build momentum in the future," she said in a statement.
"Paul's significant leadership in driving transformation and improving customer satisfaction in complex and challenging businesses is highly impressive and his background in aviation provides the right foundation to steer the Virgin Australia Group into the future."
Scurrah, who lives in Brisbane, will divide his time between Virgin Australia's Brisbane operational headquarters and the group's corporate headquarters in Sydney until he officially assumes his post.
Shares in Virgin Australia were last trading at 18.5 cents, down from 23 cents a year ago and 36 per cent lower than a two-and-a-half-year high of 29 cents in December 2017.
