Alexandre de Juniac was officially named chief executive officer of Air France on Wednesday during a board of directors meeting, the company said in a statement.

"The appointment takes effect immediately," the statement said.

The 49-year-old Juniac served as chief of staff of IMF chief Christiane Lagarde when she served as France's finance minister.

He replaces Jean-Cyril Spinetta, who became interim CEO on October 17 when Pierre-Henri Gourgeon resigned. The 65-year-old Gourgeon had been appointed CEO on January 1, 2009.

In July, company shareholders voted to reappoint Gourgeon for another four-year term, but later that month the group reported a first quarter net loss of EUR197 million (US$283 million) and warned that outlook was uncertain for the rest of the year.