A FORMER RYANAIR executive has been appointed as the daa’s new Chief Executive Officer. 

Kenny Jacobs will take up the role in January, succeeding Dalton Philips, who left the business at the end of the support.

The Cork native has been appointed for a seven-year term. 

Jacobs spent over six years at Ryanair as Chief Marketing Officer. During his career, he has also worked for Tesco Ireland & UK, Metro Group and MoneySuperMarket. 

“We are delighted that Kenny is joining daa as CEO. He brings a unique knowledge of aviation and retail businesses and understands the importance excellent customer service, commercial growth, retail, and marketing and communications,” daa chairman Basil Geoghegan said. 

Speaking of his appointment, Jacobs said: “My focus will be to deliver an efficient travel experience of operting national strategic infrastructure, at home and abroad as a key economic enabler in terms of trade, tourism and social cohesion.” 

Daa’s main activities include operating Dublin and Cork airports in Ireland, global airport retailing through its subsidiary Aer Rianta International (ARI) and international aviation consultancy and investment through daa International.

The company is state-owned and headquartered at Dublin Airport.