JetBlue Airways president Robin Hayes will replace Dave Barger as CEO on Feb. 16, 2015,

the carrier announced on Thursday. Hayes joined JetBlue as chief commercial officer in 2008, following a 19-year career with British Airways, and became the airline's president last year. In a statement, Barger, part of JetBlue's founding team, in a statement said that he had "been looking for the right time to take the next step in my life for a while, and my decision was ultimately determined by the strong state of the company and my absolute confidence in Robin's leadership." Hayes also will join JetBlue's board of directors when he takes the CEO position, and Barger will depart the board at that time.