Ethiopian Airlines has replaced its board chairman Girma Wake with the commander of the country’s air force in a reshuffle whose details remain unclear.

Lt-Gen Yilma Merdasa, who is also a board member, will now replace Girma.

The decision, sources told The EastAfrican, came after a board meeting last week to review the company’s strategy.

The state-owned airline did not immediately announce the changes, but a source confirmed the ongoings, indicating the announcement would be made later.

“Yes, Mr Girma Wake has been succeeded by Lieutenant General Yilma Merdasa, the commander of the air force as Ethiopian Airlines board chairman,” the source, who opted to remain anonymous until the changes are formally declared.

Girma, 79, is among the first Ethiopians to manage the airline, having risen through the ranks to serve as chief executive officer between 2004 and 2011. He would later chair the board for Rwanda’s national carrier, RwandAir, before returning to Ethiopian in 2018 to serve as chairman.

Last year, long-serving CEO Tewolde Gebremariam resigned, citing ill health and was replaced by Ethiopian Airlines’ former chief operating officer Mesfin Tasew Bekele.

Read: The aviation juggernaut that Tewolde built

Tewolde is credited with building Ethiopian Airlines to the largest carrier in Africa by route size and passenger numbers, having served from 2011.