Scandinavian Airlines CEO emerges as leading contender for Air Canada top job

Reports say Anko van der Werff, the chief executive of Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), has emerged as a leading candidate to become Air Canada's next CEO.

According to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, the Dutch executive is the frontrunner to succeed Michael Rousseau, who announced in March that he plans to step down later this year after a public outcry over his omission to speak French in a corporate video.

As previously reported, Rousseau came under fire from the public and federal politicians after releasing a video following an aircraft accident at New York's LaGuardia Airport that claimed the lives of two Air Canada pilots.

The message was delivered almost entirely in English, drawing criticism in Quebec, where Air Canada is legally required to provide services in both official languages.

Investing.com said van der Werff's appointment would bring a seasoned airline turnaround specialist to Air Canada at a time when the carrier's shares are trading at about half their pre-COVID value and its financial guidance remains suspended.

Van der Werff has spent the past five years steering SAS through its post-pandemic recovery, overseeing its emergence from bankruptcy and restoring operations.

Previously, he led Colombian carrier Avianca from 2019 to 2021 and held senior leadership roles at Grupo Aeromexico, Qatar Airways and Air France-KLM.

Bloomberg noted that while van der Werff is fluent in Dutch, English and Spanish, he has only a basic command of French. That might draw renewed attention from Quebec politicians and francophone advocacy groups, despite his strong operational credentials.

Air Canada has not commented on the reports.

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