 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement .(February 2024) |
Benjamin Smith | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 27 August 1971 United Kingdom |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | University of Western Ontario |
| Occupation | CEO of Air France–KLM |
Benjamin Smith (born 27 August 1971) is a Canadian businessman and airline executive. He has been the CEO of Air France-KLM since 2018. Prior to that, he was Air Canada's President, Airlines and Chief Operating Officer. [1]
Benjamin Smith was born on 27 August 1971 in the UK, to a mother from Hong Kong and an Australian father. [2] He holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Western Ontario. [3] He lives in Paris with his family. [2]
A life-long aviation enthusiast, he began his career in 1990 as a unionised ground Customer Sales and Service Agent at Air Ontario, a regional airline subsidiary of Air Canada, in parallel with his studies. In 1992, he left the airline to open a retail corporate travel agency, which he operated for eight years. [3]
In 1999, he worked as a consultant before rejoining Air Canada. As Managing Director of Air Canada Tango, he was responsible for writing the business plan and successfully launching this new low-cost subsidiary, with 21 aircraft transferred from Air Canada. [4] In 2001, Tango introduced a new commercial model: the subsidiary offered a blend of low-cost and full-service products and services which proved successful. [5]
In 2004, the Tango model was rolled out across Air Canada’s entire North American network. The Tango operation was absorbed into the mainline carrier with the brand Tango kept as Air Canada’s base fare under the new commercial model developed at Tango. [6] Subsequently, Smith was appointed Vice President, Network Planning, within Air Canada. [7]
In 2007, Smith was appointed to the Air Canada executive management team as Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for Network Planning, Revenue Management, Marketing (including brand management, customer experience, and loyalty), Cargo, Alliances, and Global Sales. [7] He is described as the "driver of Air Canada's commercial strategy" [8] leading to the development of three global hubs in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. He contributed to the transformation of the airline, including the purchase of a new large fleet of wide-body and narrow-body aircraft. Overall, he led a global network expansion resulting in links to more than 200 destinations on six continents, with a fleet of 350 aircraft. [8]
In 2013, he launched the low-cost company Air Canada Rouge. [6]
In 2014, he was the chief negotiator with the airline's pilot and cabin crew unions which resulted in landmark 10-year collective agreements. [7] In the same year, he was appointed President, Airlines (Air Canada, Rouge, Express and Cargo) and Chief Operating Officer of Air Canada. [7]
During his tenure, the airline’s profitability grew by over twenty-fold [9] and Air Canada was awarded the Skytrax Best Airline in North America seven times.
The Air France–KLM Group Board of Directors appointed Smith as the new Group's CEO on 16 August 2018, the first non-French chief executive in the company's history. [1]
Smith achieved in a few months labor stability at Air France after years of internal conflict.[ citation needed ] He embarked on a Group-wide fleet modernization program which saw the retirement of Air France and KLM’s Airbus A380, Boeing 747 and Airbus A340 aircraft, [10] replacing them with Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s. [11]
In 2019, a new agreement with Air France’s pilot union removed the fleet size and geographical restrictions on the Group’s low-cost subsidiary Transavia. A large fleet order of Airbus A320neos was subsequently placed to embark on an ambitious growth strategy. [12]
Smith successfully navigated the Covid-19 crisis. Billions of euros in stabilizing direct and guaranteed loans by the French and Dutch States were used to ensure the survivability of the Group. The loans have now been fully repaid. [13]
Smith appointed new CEOs at the group’s two major subsidiaries which has led to an improvement of synergies. [14]
On 31 March 2022, the Board of Directors of Air France-KLM renewed his contract as CEO for a further five years. [15]
In 2023, Air France-KLM posted the best 3rd quarter results in its history. [16]
On 6 September 2023, WestJet appointed Smith as non-executive Vice-Chair of the Board. [17]
Smith was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour in July 2023. [18]
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V., is the flag carrier of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM group and a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. Founded in 1919, KLM is the oldest operating airline in the world, and has 35,488 employees with a fleet of 110 as of 2021. KLM operates scheduled passenger and cargo services to 145 destinations.
Kenya Airways Ltd., more commonly known as Kenya Airways, is the flag carrier airline of Kenya. The company was founded in 1977, after the dissolution of East African Airways. Its head office is located in Embakasi, Nairobi, with its hub at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada, by size and passengers carried. Air Canada is headquartered in the borough of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 222 destinations worldwide. It is a founding member of the Star Alliance. Air Canada's major hubs are at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), Montréal–Trudeau International Airport (YUL), and Vancouver International Airport (YVR).
Air Mauritius is the flag carrier airline of Mauritius. The airline is headquartered in Port Louis, Mauritius, with its hub at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport.
Scandinavian Airlines, more commonly known and styled as SAS, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. SAS is an abbreviation of the company's full name, Scandinavian Airlines System or legally Scandinavian Airlines System Denmark-Norway-Sweden. Part of the SAS Group and headquartered at the SAS Frösundavik Office Building in Solna, Sweden, the airline operates 180 aircraft to 90 destinations. The airline's main hub is at Copenhagen-Kastrup Airport, with connections to 109 destinations around the world. Stockholm Arlanda Airport is the second largest hub, with Oslo Airport, Gardermoen being the third major hub of SAS. Minor hubs also exist at Bergen Airport, Flesland, Göteborg Landvetter Airport, Stavanger Airport, and Trondheim Airport. SAS Cargo is an independent, wholly owned subsidiary of Scandinavian Airlines and its main office is at Copenhagen Airport.
Swiss International Air Lines AG, stylized as SWISS, is the flag carrier of Switzerland and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group, as well as a Star Alliance member. It operates scheduled services in Europe and to North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Zurich Airport serves as its main hub and Geneva Airport as its secondary hub.
Air Canada Tango was a low-cost subsidiary branch of Air Canada, which was established in 2001 to offer no-frills service on some of Air Canada's routes and to reduce operating costs at the struggling main company. Based in Toronto, Tango operated on the major longer-distance Canadian routes between cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, as well as to some holiday destinations in the USA and Mexico such as Fort Lauderdale, Seattle, Tampa and Mexico City.
Air France–KLM S.A., also known as Air France–KLM Group, is a French airline holding company with its headquarters in the rue du Cirque, Paris. The group’s three major brands are Air France, KLM and Transavia. Air France–KLM is the result of the merger in 2004 between Air France and KLM. Both Air France and KLM are members of the SkyTeam airline alliance. The group's main hubs are Paris–Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris Orly Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Air France–KLM Airlines transported 83 million passengers in 2022.
Gulf Air is the flag carrier of Bahrain, which was founded in 1950 by British pilot Freddie Bosworth as Gulf Aviation. Headquartered in Muharraq, the airline operates scheduled flights to 59 destinations in 28 countries across Africa, Asia, and Europe. The airline's main hub is at Bahrain International Airport.
Etihad Airways is one of two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates. Its head office is in Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi, near Zayed International Airport. The airline commenced operations in November 2003, and is the second-largest airline in the UAE after Emirates. The name Etihad is the Arabic word for 'Union'.
Jetstar Asia Airways Pte Ltd is a Singaporean low-cost airline headquartered at Changi Airport. It operates services to regional destinations in Southeast Asia to countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. It also flies to regional routes in East Asia such as Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Transavia Airlines C.V., trading as Transavia and formerly branded as transavia.com, is a Dutch low-cost airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of KLM and therefore part of the Air France–KLM group. Its main base is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and it has other bases at Rotterdam The Hague Airport and Eindhoven Airport.
Air France, stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance. As of 2013, Air France serves 29 destinations in France and operates worldwide scheduled passenger and cargo services to 201 destinations in 78 countries and also carried 46,803,000 passengers in 2019. The airline's global hub is at Charles de Gaulle Airport with Orly Airport as the primary domestic hub. Air France's corporate headquarters, previously in Montparnasse, Paris, are located at the Roissypôle complex on the grounds of Charles de Gaulle Airport, north of Paris.
Transavia Airlines S.A.S., trading as Transavia France and formerly branded as transavia.com France, is a French low-cost airline owned by Air France S.A. & Transavia Airlines C.V. based at Paris Orly Airport. It shares its corporate design, website and operating model with its Dutch parent company, Transavia.
Lionel Guérin is a French Chief executive officer and Politician.
Dutch flag-carrier airline KLM operates a fleet of 107 aircraft. The narrow-body fleet is composed of Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft which will be replaced by the Airbus A320neo family aircraft in the mid 2024. Airbus A330, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner widebody aircraft are used primarily on long-haul flights. In September 2023, Air France-KLM announced an order for 50 Airbus A350s. These will replace the groups’ remaining Airbus A330s and Boeing 777-200ERs, and will be split between Air France and KLM.
Alexandre de Juniac is a French businessman.
This is a list of aviation-related events in 2018.
Uganda Airlines is the flag carrier of Uganda. The company is a revival of the older Uganda Airlines which operated from 1977 until 2001. The current carrier began flying in August 2019.
Italia Trasporto Aereo S.p.A., dba ITA Airways, is the flag carrier of Italy. It is owned by the Government of Italy via the Ministry of Economy and Finance and was founded in 2020 as bankrupt Alitalia's successor. The airline flies to over 70 scheduled domestic, European, and intercontinental destinations. ITA Airways is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. Its main hub is Rome Fiumicino Airport near Rome and focus city is Linate Airport near Milan.
Media related to Benjamin Smith (executive) at Wikimedia Commons