Air France-KLM Board Picks Janaillac as New CEO, Chairman
- European airline needed to fill post left by de Juniac's exit
- Janaillac will take top job at Air France starting July 31
Jean-Marc Janaillac
Photographer: Brent Lewin/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Air France-KLM Group’s board of directors selected veteran transportation manager Jean-Marc Janaillac as chief executive officer and chairman of Europe’s largest airline, filling a hole left after Alexandre de Juniac announced his surprise departure.
Janaillac, 63, will need to face down unions in one of Europe’s most bitter labor disputes. After announcing his departure three weeks ago, de Juniac said the company is trailing badly in a race with more powerful rivals and said a 10-day pilot walkout in 2014 had been “a frontal attack” on the company. He will step down on July 31. Air France’s shares rose 1.2 percent to 7.92 euros at 9:19 a.m. in Paris.