Air France-KLM appoints new Transavia CEO in management reshuffle
Oltion Carkaxhija moves from group COO to lead low-cost unit Transavia, as part of a wider executive reshuffle at the airline group.
Air France-KLM has appointed Oltion Carkaxhija as chief executive of its low-cost subsidiary Transavia. He moves from his role as group chief operating officer. The group said Carkaxhija will focus on reinforcing Transavia's position in the intra-European market.
His former transformation responsibilities go to Blaise Brigaud, previously senior vice-president of sustainability. Brigaud's new title is executive vice-president sustainability and transformation.
Transavia Netherlands and Transavia France keep their own chief executives. Paul Terstegge took over the Dutch operation in February; Olivier Mazzucchelli leads the French unit.
Carkaxhija, a former Air Canada executive, joined Air France-KLM in 2018 as director of corporate planning. Group chief executive Benjamin Smith said the changes aim to combine capabilities and talents across the group.
During its second-quarter earnings call, Air France-KLM said it would focus on cost reduction at Transavia after the unit reported an operating loss of €35 million. The Middle East network was hit by the fallout from the Iran war, forcing aircraft redeployment.
Sources
- flightglobal.comAir France-KLM moves chief operating officer across to lead Transavia