Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways said on Sunday it had appointed Gulf Air's James Hogan as its chief executive.

James Hogan, who helped Bahrain-based Gulf Air return to profit in 2004, starts work at the United Arab Emirates airline on Monday, a spokesman for Etihad said.

Robert Strodel, Etihad's first chief executive since Abu Dhabi set up the airline in 2003, stepped down in May after only 10 months in the job.

An Etihad statement said the airline also appointed James Rigney, Gulf Air's former head of corporate strategy, as the airline's vice president of finance.