Chris Pappaioanou, the general counsel for Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group Inc., has been appointed the first president of the company’s go! operation.

Pappaioanou, 41, who relocated to Hawaii this week, said he was going to concentrate on the local traveling population that represents the core focus of go! Airlines.

"That’s been a key passenger block for us: all the locals traveling to the neighbor islands," he said Wednesday in a phone interview. "On top of that, we want to maintain our focus on our tour operation partners and work with them to meet their needs and grow that side of the business as well."

Go! debuted in Hawaii on June 9, 2006, and operates 38 to 43 daily flights and has 75 employees.

Pappaioanou, who served a variety of roles within Mesa’s legal and human resources departments since joining the company in 2001, said the top leadership position previously at go! had been chief operating officer.

"(The company) really wanted one person to be president of go! to provide leadership for all the employees we have here and be one point of contact between the Hawaii operation and the parent company in Phoenix," Pappaioanou said.

"I’m really excited about the position. I’ve always wanted to be more involved with the operation."

Brian Gillman, whom Pappaioanou replaced as general counsel at Mesa, has returned to his former post at Mesa after having worked as general counsel at Global Aviation Holdings since 2011.

"We are delighted to have Chris in his new role guiding the team at go!," Mesa Chairman and CEO Jonathan Ornstein said in a statement. "We are confident that his leadership, dedication and hard work will be a welcomed addition. Given his diverse background over his years at Mesa, Chris is particularly well suited to tackle the many tasks he will have at go! as president."