Eurocontrol has appointed Eamonn Brennan as director general with effect from January 1 2018.
He was nominated by the Government of Ireland and is currently chief executive and Board member of the Irish Aviation Authority.
Brennan will succeed Frank Brenner, who has been director general since January 2013 and whose term ends on December 31.
"Eamonn Brennan is a leading figure in European aviation," said Piotr Samson, president of the Euroctontrol Permanent Commission and director general of Civil Aviation of Poland.
"His leadership experience and understanding of the issues facing air traffic management today will be invaluable in ensuring that Eurocontrol can respond to the evolving needs of all the agency’s stakeholders and support the full implementation of the Single European Sky in a pan-European context."
