# Azerbaijan Airlines Appoints Former TAP Executive Mário Chaves as CEO

*17 September 2026 · CentralAsia+Aero*

**The former TAP Air Portugal COO takes the helm of AZAL’s passenger division amid fleet expansion**

Mário Chaves has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Azerbaijan Airlines' passenger division. Chaves steps into the role as the Azerbaijani flag carrier undergoes expansion, with [five new aircraft scheduled for delivery](https://centralasiaplus.aero/2026/07/21/azerbaijan-airlines-expands-fleet-to-30-jets/) this year.

Chaves brings over 30 years of aviation industry experience to the role. Most recently, he served as Chief Operating Officer at TAP Air Portugal, a position he held from 2023. His executive background also includes serving as CEO of Portugália Airlines, Chief Operations and Commercial Officer at Grupo SATA, Acting CEO and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Cabo Verde Airlines, and Vice President at Icelandair Group.

He studied Applied Mathematics at the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa.

Chaves began his aviation career in 1995 and joined TAP Air Portugal as a pilot in 1998. Until 2013, he served as an Airbus A320 Family Captain and Type Rating Instructor, combining flight deck duties with senior management roles, including Flight Operations Program Manager and Head of Performance Management. He subsequently joined IATA in Montreal and Geneva as Assistant Director of Flight Operations, later heading the organization's Flight Operations Efficiency division with a focus on regulatory affairs.

AZAL expects Chaves’s extensive international background in commercial and operational management to play a key role in driving the airline’s route network expansion. The appointment aligns with the carrier's broader strategy to scale operations, improve service quality, optimize operational efficiency, and integrate international best practices.

Chaves is not the only TAP alumnus leading a carrier in the region; former TAP executive [Gonçalo Pires was appointed Chief Financial Officer at Kazakhstan's ](https://centralasiaplus.aero/2026/02/04/kazakhstans-air-astana-brings-in-restructuring-expert-goncalo-pires-as-new-cfo/)Air Astana in April.

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Source: https://centralasiaplus.aero/2026/09/17/azerbaijan-airlines-appoints-former-tap-executive-mario-chaves-as-ceo/