Alafco promotes Abulqassim Abdulghaffar as the Executive Vice President

Prior to his current position, Abdulghaffar served as Alafco's Senior Vice President Business Development & Treasury where he was instrumental in formulating and implementing Alafco's short and long term growth plans.

An aviation industry veteran with over 30 years experience, Abdulghaffar joined Alafco from Bahrain based Gulf Air Company where he held various senior management positions in corporate planning and treasury during his 24 year tenure there. He has served as Chairman of Sky Chefs/GCC Company in the UK and at one time was a member of the board of Jet Airways in India.

Abdulghaffar, who joined Alafco in 2000, is a member of the Institute of Chartered Management Accountants in the United Kingdom. He is very well known and respected with airlines and aircraft and engine manufacturers and has a long history of successfully arranging financing, leasing and sale of aircraft.

Alafco is a Kuwait-based Shariah compliant aircraft leasing company with 27 owned and managed aircraft. The company has placed orders for 70 new aircraft, worth $10bn at list prices, with Airbus and Boeing with deliveries starting from 2009. Most of the new ordered aircraft have already been placed with airlines such as Kuwait's Wataniya Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Oman Air, Go Air (India) Pvt. Ltd., and Turkish operator Sky Airlines.