Brazilian airline Gol's Ferrer to take over as CEO

SAO PAULO, May 16 (Reuters) - Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA (GOL) said on Monday that Chief Operating Officer Celso Ferrer will become the Brazilian airline's chief executive on July 1, succeeding long-time top executive Paulo Kakinoff.

Ferrer, 39, has worked for the company since 2003, having also served previously as chief planning officer.

Less than a week ago, Gol announced it was combining with Colombia's Avianca under the roof of a common holding company called Abra Group, a deal that is set to create one of Latin America's largest airline groups.

Kakinoff, who had been Gol's CEO since 2012, will become a board member in the company, Gol added in a securities filing. (Reporting by Gabriel Araujo; editing by Jason Neely and Paul Simao)