Chris Pappaioanou, 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!

"That’s been a key passenger block for us — all the locals traveling to the neighbor islands," he said today 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!, which debuted in Hawaii on June 9, 2006, 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.

Former general counsel Brian Gillman returned to Mesa from Global Aviation Holdings to assume his previous position.