Alexandre de Juniac has been installed as chairman and chief executive of Air France following approval from the airline’s board on 16 November. A civil servant in the French finance ministry and former Thales executive, he fills the role vacated by Jean-Cyril Spinetta, chairman and chief executive of the Air France-KLM group which he held temporarily from 17 October.
Previously de Juniac was private secretary to International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde when she was French minister for the economy, industry and employment. He was also in charge of the aviation systems division at Thales before becoming the company’s general manager for Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
De Juniac’s first challenges at Air France will be to initiate further cost savings to restore the airline’s competitiveness, restructure its short- and medium-haul operations and reduce its debt.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
