The chairman of Japan Airlines Corporation and Japan Airlines International, Toshiyuki Shinmachi, will retire from the board effective 31 March, 2008.

Toshiyuki Shinmachi, aged 65, was elected president of JAL, Asia and Japan’s largest airline group, in June 2004 after an airline career focused primarily on the cargo transportation business. On 1 April, 2005 he assumed the position of JAL Group CEO and in June 2006, he took up his current position as JAL Group chairman.

Born on January 20, 1943, Mr. Shinmachi joined JAL in April 1965 after graduating from Gakushuin University where he studied politics and economics. He spent nearly his entire career in JAL’s cargo department which included three overseas assignments in Frankfurt, Hong Kong and New York.

No successor has been appointed to the position of chairman.

Boeing has announced that Ralph “Skip” Boyce has been appointed president of Boeing Southeast Asia. Boyce will focus on strengthening the company’s presence across the region and supporting opportunities to increase Boeing’s growth and productivity. He will be based in Singapore and report to Shep Hill, president, Boeing International.

Boyce, aged 56, succeeds two retiring Boeing executives: Douglas Miller, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems vice president and leader of the Boeing Singapore office and Paul Walters, who has led Boeing’s business activities in the remainder of Southeast Asia based in Malaysia.

“Skip is an experienced leader who possesses an in-depth knowledge of the region,” Hill said. “His regional expertise will enable the company to capitalize on the emerging business opportunities in this strategically important market to Boeing.”

Swissport has announced that Michel Jansen, executive vice president cargo services and head of the company’s global airfreight handling activities will be leaving the company with immediate effect to seek a new career challenge. The separation is by mutual agreement and in good harmony, the group said in a statement.

Until a permanent successor is appointed, responsibility for Swissport’s cargo handling operations will be shared by three in-house specialists on an interim basis. Juan Jose Andres Alvez, currently senior vice president passenger business, will assume overall responsibility for all European cargo handling and all HQ functions. Urs Sieber, currently EVP ground handling worldwide (except Americas), will take over the areas Africa and Asia, while Erich Bodenmann, currently executive vice president aviation specialty services, will be in overall charge of cargo handling for the area Americas.

Effective 1 April, Lutz Freytag becomes the new chief financial officer (CFO) of Schenker AG, Essen. In this role he will be responsible for the finance and accounting, controlling, risk management and purchasing divisions. He succeeds Marco Schröter, who will be switching at the same date to a post as CFO and human resources director with Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg. “I am particularly pleased that with Dr. Freytag we have been able to fill this important position with a man from our own ranks,” said Norbert Bensel, member of the board of Deutsche Bahn AG with responsibility for transportation and logistics. “We thank Dr. Schröter for the good work he has done for us in the past, and wish him all the best with his new tasks at Infineon.”

Dr. Lutz Freytag, aged 49, studied physics and has a doctorate in the subject. Since 2005 he has been member of the board for finance and controlling at Railion Deutschland AG, Mainz. Before this he had held leading positions with various companies, including Stinnes AG and Siemens AG.

ACI Asia-Pacific has set up a regional committee for airport operational safety in recognition of the increasing importance of this area in the region and worldwide.

Brett Patterson, director, operations safety and planning at the Vancouver Airport Authority has been elected by fellow committee members as the chairman of the ACI Asia-Pacific operational safety committee. The committee is a working group comprised of experts in operational safety from ACI Asia-Pacific member airports. It was formed last year with the aim of discussing issues relating to operational safety and developing best practices in the area. The committee is also responsible for representing Asia-Pacific in liaison with ACI world operational safety subcommittee which is ACI’s worldwide committee on airport safety.

The Supervisory Board of Deutsche Post AG in Bonn has appointed Frank Appel aged 46 as chief executive offi cer of Deutsche Post AG, with immediate eff ect. The appointment follows the decision of Klaus Zumwinkel aged 64 to resign from his offi ce as CEO as German authorities widened a probe in tax evasion by hundreds of wealthy Germans suspected of concealing nearly €3.4 billion in assets, in Liechtenstein.

German police raided the homes of wealthy Germans in Mid-February including the home and offi ces of Zumwinkel. Prosecutors claim Zumwinkel evaded €1 million in personal tax by creating a revocable trust for his money in Liechtenstein. The group expressed its thanks to Zumwinkel for the “successful entrepreneurial leadership in the past 18 years and for his outstanding achievements in creating the world’s leading logistics group.”

Meanwhile, Appel, who has a contract until 31 October, 2012 has been a member of the Board of Management since 2002 and is in charge of the corporate division logistics, for Mail International, for regulation management, as well as the crossdivisional responsibility for the group’s 100 largest customers (Global Customer Solutions).