New Air France-KLM CEO expected in September, possibly American (translated)
02 AUG 2018
French-Dutch airline Air France-KLM [EPA:AF] expects to present its new CEO early September, Dutch daily Het Financieele Dagblad reported, citing financial Manager Frédéric Gagey and KLM CEO Pieter Elbers.
Gagey said it’s difficult to find the right person for the job because there are not many candidates with suitable profiles.
In May Jean-Marc Janaillac resigned from his position as CEO. Since then, the airline has been looking for a replacement. Several candidates were mentioned, but none of them seemed to be up to the job, the report said.
A report on the Dutch news site Iex.nl said that, based on information from French business magazine La Tribune, the new CEO could be a national from the USA. Earlier reports suggested that Air France-KLM insisted on having a European CEO, but talks with a US national are reported to be taking place. The name of the US candidate was not mentioned.
Het Financieele Dagblad also reported that Air France-KLM made a profit of EUR 109m and a turnover of EUR 6.6m in the second quarter of this year, despite strikes at Air France. KLM was significantly more profitable than Air France with an operating income of EUR 328m for KLM and an operating income of EUR 13m for Air France in the second quarter.