With airline leaders gathering in Seoul for the IATA AGM, we use Cirium's Fleets Analyzer and schedules data to measure the legacies of the chief executives who have left their roles in the past 12 months. The AGM takes place in South Korea just weeks after the death of long-serving Korean Air chairman and chief executive Cho Yang-ho
Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA/Shutterstock
Cho Yang-ho – Korean Air
Started: 1992
Tenure ended: April 2019 (on his death)
Months in role: 326
Fleet on joining: 84
Fleet April 2019: 178
Fleet change: +94
Destinations on joining: 40 (approximation)*
Destinations April 2019: 108
Destinations change: +68
Flight growth: 1992 data n/a*
Seat growth: 1992 data n/a*
ASK growth: 1992 data n/a*
Visit Mexico
Luis Garza – Interjet
Started: October 2005
Departed: January 2019
Months in role: 158
Fleet on joining: 0 (chief at launch)
Fleet on departure: 73
Fleet change: +73
Destinations on joining: 0
Destinations on departure: 53
Destinations change: +53
Flight growth: n/a
Seat growth: n/a
ASK growth: n/a
Confederation of Icelandic Employers
Bjorgolfur Johannsson – Icelandair
Started: January 2008
Departed: August 2018
Months in role: 126
Fleet on joining: 16
Fleet on departure: 36
Fleet change: +20
Destinations on joining: 22
Destinations on departure: 35
Destinations change: +13
Flight growth: 114%
Seat growth: 114%
ASK growth: 161%
BillyPix
Tan Wangeng – China Southern
Started: January 2009
Departed: November 2018
Months in role: 117
Fleet on joining: 282
Fleet on departure: 583
Fleet change: +301
Destinations on joining: 163
Destinations on departure: 201
Destinations change: +38
Flight growth: 52.5%
Seat growth: 60.6%
ASK growth: 120%
Virgin Australia
John Borghetti – Virgin Australia
Started: May 2010 (when airline was branded Virgin Blue)
Departed: March 2019
Months in role: 105
Fleet on joining: 74
Fleet on departure: 100
Fleet change: +26
Destinations on joining: 46
Destinations on departure: 56
Destinations change: +10
Flight growth: 2.1%
Seat growth: 22.8%
ASK growth: 24.3%
BillyPix
Craig Kreeger – Virgin Atlantic
Started: February 2013
Departed: December 2018
Months in role: 70
Fleet on joining: 41
Fleet on departure: 41
Fleet change: 0
Destinations on joining: 31
Destinations on departure: 26
Destinations change: -5
Flight growth: (11.5%)
Seat growth: (16.6%)
ASK growth: (17.2%)
Blue Air
Gheorghe Racaru – Blue Air
Started: January 2013**
Departed: September 2018
Months in role: 67
Fleet on joining: 8
Fleet on departure: 27
Fleet change: +21
Destinations on joining: 22
Destinations on departure: 64
Destinations change: +42
Flight growth: 330%
Seat growth: 321%
ASK growth: 252%
BillyPix
Pekka Vauramo – Finnair
Started: June 2013
Departed: November 2018
Months in role: 64
Fleet on joining: 44
Fleet on departure: 56
Fleet change: +12
Destinations on joining: 94
Destinations on departure: 116
Destinations change: +22
Flight growth: 36.6%
Seat growth: 55.2%
ASK growth: 51.9%
Airbus
Kim Soo-cheon (second from right, above) – Asiana
Started: January 2014
Departed: September 2018
Months in role: 55
Fleet on joining: 83
Fleet on departure: 83
Fleet change: 0
Destinations on joining: 90
Destinations on departure: 76
Destinations change: -14
Flight growth: (7.5%)
Seat growth: 5%
ASK growth: 19%
IATA
Stephen Kavanagh – Aer Lingus
Started: February 2015
Departed: December 2018
Months in role: 45
Fleet on joining: 44
Fleet on departure: 57
Fleet change: +13
Destinations on joining: 58
Destinations on departure: 62
Destinations change: +4
Flight growth: 6.6%
Seat growth: 7%
ASK growth: 26.3%
Vnukovo International Airport
Dmitry Saprykin – Rossiya***
Started: November 2015
Departed: September 2018
Months in role: 40
Fleet on joining: 24
Fleet on departure: 64
Fleet change: +40
Destinations on joining: 40
Destinations on departure: 46
Destinations change: +6
Flight growth: 56.6%
Seat growth: 81.6%
ASK growth: 153%
BillyPix
Hernan Rincon – Avianca
Started: April 2016
Departed: April 2019
Months in role: 36
Fleet on joining: 84
Fleet on departure: 89
Fleet change: +5
Destinations on joining: 80
Destinations on departure: 76
Destinations change: -4
Flight growth: (3.4%)
Seat growth: 2.4%
ASK growth: 22.3%
Southwest Airlines
Bob Fornaro – Spirit Airlines
Started: January 2016
Departed: December 2018
Months in role: 34
Fleet on joining: 79
Fleet on departure: 122
Fleet change: +43
Destinations on joining: 53
Destinations on departure: 67
Destinations change: +14
Flight growth: 41.3%
Seat growth: 52.1%
ASK growth: 56.6%
Muylaert Sebastien/Action Press/Shutterstock
Franck Terner – Air France****
Started: November 2016
Departed: September 2018
Months in role: 21
Fleet on joining: 312
Fleet on departure: 305
Fleet change: -7
Destinations on joining: 195
Destinations on departure: 213
Destinations change: +13
Flight growth: (0.8%)
Seat growth: 2.3%
ASK growth: 6.9%
Garuda Indonesia
Pahala Mansury – Garuda Indonesia
Started: April 2017
Departed: September 2018
Months in role: 16
Fleet on joining: 141
Fleet on departure: 146
Fleet change: +5
Destinations on joining: 84
Destinations on departure: 90
Destinations change: +6
Flight growth: 0.4%
Seat growth: (0.1%)
ASK growth: 0.5%
NOTES: Schedules data comparisons based on month of taking up position versus last instance of same month during chief executive's time in role, or most appropriate point of comparison where tenure was short; fleet measured at beginning of month of start and beginning of month of departure; fleet refers to in-service aircraft; "started" refers to taking up the chief executive position, not necessarily point at which person joined the business; "months in role" counts whole months only; the selection of chief executives is not intended to be exhaustive
* Available schedules data does not go back to 1992
** Data covers Racaru's second stint as chief executive only. He previously served as the airline's chief between 2004 and 2009
*** During Saprykin's tenure, Rossiya integrated assets of Donavia and Orenburg Airlines, plus some Transaero aircraft and services
**** Data covers Air France mainline, plus Hop and Joon
2019IATA
Read all the latest news and information from the 2019 IATA AGM on our dedicated page.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
