WestJet names Austrian Airlines CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech as next CEO

CALGARY – The WestJet Group says Austrian Airlines CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech has been named as its next chief executive.

The airline says von Hoensbroech’s official start date is subject to a successful immigration process, which is expected to be completed before the end of the first quarter of 2022.

Von Hoensbroech was named CEO of Austrian Airlines, which is part of the Lufthansa Group, in 2018.

WestJet chairman Chris Burley says von Hoensbroech helped Austrian Airlines refocus on its core business, lowering its costs to address rising competition from ultra-low-cost carriers.

Harry Taylor, WestJet’s chief financial officer, has been serving as interim chief executive at the Calgary-based airline since the retirement of Ed Sims from the job earlier this year.

Taylor is expected to resume his duties as chief financial officer once von Hoensbroech is in place.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 17, 2021.