PORTLAND, Ore., July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Horizon Air’s board of directors has elected George Knobloch as vice president of maintenance and engineering, effective immediately. In his new role, Knobloch will oversee maintenance and engineering operations at the airlines’ six maintenance facilities and a team of more than 400 employees. Knobloch will be based in Portland, Horizon Air’s maintenance and engineering hub.

“George is an outstanding leader with an excellent vision for our maintenance program. His attention to the safety of our guests and teammates will continue to be an asset in this role,” said David Campbell, president and CEO of Horizon Air.

Knobloch joined Alaska Air Group in 2002 as the manager of line operations for Alaska Airlines in Seattle. Since joining the Air Group, he has held various positions of increasing responsibility, including director of maintenance operations and outstations, with responsibility for Alaska Airlines’ staffed stations; maintenance control; technical training; and contract maintenance providers in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He most recently served as managing director of maintenance and engineering at Horizon Air. While in this role, Knobloch held the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required position of director of maintenance on the airline’s operating certificate.

Knobloch has a rich history in the airline industry. Prior to joining Alaska Air Group, he worked for U.S. Airways as a technical instructor before serving as line maintenance manager in San Diego, Los Angeles and Boston. While there, he also received several awards from the FAA in support of FAA flight standards safety program and the FAA aviation education program.

Knobloch retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve as a command master chief after a 30-year career serving in a leadership capacity with several aviation commands across the country and overseas. During his time with the U.S. Navy, he maintained several different types of military aircraft including H3 helicopters, A4 fighters, F18 fighters, C130 and C9 cargo aircraft.

Connect with Knobloch on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-knobloch-39a48439/.

Horizon Air is a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group and flies to 39 cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Alaska Airlines, together with Virgin America and its regional partners, flies 40 million guests a year to 118 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America” in the J.D. Power North America Satisfaction Study for 10 consecutive years from 2008 to 2017. Alaska Mileage Plan ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Airline Loyalty Rewards Programs” in the J.D. Power 2016 Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report for the last three consecutive years. Learn more about Alaska’s award-winning service and unmatched reliability at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

SOURCE Alaska Air Group, Inc.