When Bjorn Naf, the new chief executive of Hong Kong-based Metrojet, swapped the cockpit for the boardroom most people may have thought he was seeking a simpler life.
But the boss of the largest corporate jet operator in Asia Pacific region - controlled by hotel magnate Michael Kadoorie - was actually seeking excitement.
The 43-year-old executive left the left-hand seat of an airliner to pursue something he described as more unpredictable and challenging - the boardroom of an airline.
'It's too boring being a captain,' said Naf, who was promoted to first officer in his 30s. 'It's very much a routine job being an airliner pilot. There are procedures, guidelines and check lists ... you know exactly what your co-pilot is going to say when you sit in the cockpit. The only creativity is when you talk to your passengers to make announcements.'
Now he is using his corporate skills to seek a greater role for business aviation in the expansion of the Hong Kong International Airport, for which a third runway is now being considered.
A need to express his creativity was the reason Naf took over as chief executive of Gulf Air in 2007. The airline was suffering from hefty losses and a bad service reputation at the time. Previously he had served as chief executive of Transafrik International in Kenya. Naf left Gulf Air for personal reasons in July last year and joined Metrojet in October.