A major shake-up at SAirGroup will see Sabena president Paul Reutlinger head the three French airlines that SAir plans to merge to create a national rival to Air France. Swissair president Jeffrey Katz has, meanwhile, resigned as president and chief executive of the flag carrier to take the same posts at US airline-led online travel service Orbitz.
Reutlinger leaves Sabena - which he joined in 1996 and steered into profitability - on 1 August. He will be charged with managing the integration of Air Liberté, Air Littoral and AOM "with a view to creating a viable, profitable airline", of which he will become chief executive. His appointment came shortly after the workforces of the three staged a strike to fight the "dismantling of our respective airlines".
Alexandre Couvelaire, ex-president of AOM and Air Liberté, will be president of the board of the new carrier, alongside Joel de Cernon, Air Littoral president. Reutlinger will be succeeded at Sabena by chief operating officer Chistoph Müller, also president of Sabena Technics. Müller earlier occupied various positions at Lufthansa. Both he and Reutlinger have been appointed to the SAir executive management committee.
Katz leaves Swissair after more than three years at the helm, with SAir chief executive Philippe Bruggisser planning to step in and manage the airline while retaining his more senior position.
SAir says its board is "aware of the challenges facing airlines" and has asked Bruggisser to concentrate on these. Problems include high fuel prices, the strong dollar and losses at 49%-owned German charter subsidiary LTU.
Source: Flight International
