MONTREAL — Air Canada has named Anko van der Werff as its next President and Chief Executive Officer, with the longtime international aviation executive set to take the helm by the end of January 2027.

Van der Werff, who currently serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), will also join Air Canada’s Board of Directors. He succeeds Michael Rousseau, who announced earlier this year that he would retire after 19 years with the airline.

Rumours about van der Werff taking over the reins as President and CEO of Air Canada were first reported last week.

The appointment follows what Air Canada described as a comprehensive global search for its next leader. Air Canada said the executive search evaluated candidates from around the world using a range of performance criteria, including the ability to communicate in French.

“Our Board of Directors was impressed by the quality of experienced executives from around the world who expressed interest in the role,” said Vagn Sørensen, Chair of the Board.

“We are delighted to have attracted and recruited an executive of Mr. van der Werff’s stature to lead Air Canada. He has an exceptional breadth of international aviation experience and a proven 25-year track record, including his most recent forward-looking executive leadership at Scandinavian Airlines, Avianca Group, and Aeroméxico and earlier at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (now Air France-KLM) and Qatar Airways.

“We are confident he will drive further value-creating growth and transformation while maintaining our commitment to disciplined capital allocation.”

Van der Werff said he is looking forward to leading Canada’s largest airline and relocating to Montreal.

“Air Canada is a globally recognized airline leader. It is an honour to be chosen to lead this iconic Canadian company as it advances its ambitions and strategy, builds on its award-winning employee culture and customer value proposition, and prepares for an even brighter future,” said van der Werff. “I look forward to working closely with Air Canada’s talented executive team and with all employees to fulfil our commitments to shareholders and customers. I am excited about relocating to Montréal and eager to get started.”

Rousseau’s retirement will take effect on Aug. 31, 2026. During the transition period, Air Canada’s Executive Committee will report directly to the Board of Directors, with Rousseau remaining available as needed to support the leadership handover.

Sørensen thanked Rousseau for his leadership during his nearly two decades with the airline.

“The Board is grateful to Michael Rousseau for his outstanding leadership and extraordinary contributions, which are in large part responsible for the enviable position Air Canada enjoys among global carriers. We thank him for that legacy and for his support with the transition.”

Van der Werff brings more than 25 years of international airline leadership experience spanning Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Before joining SAS in 2021, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Avianca. Earlier in his career, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Aeroméxico, held senior commercial leadership roles at Qatar Airways and occupied several management positions at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

He also served on the Board of Governors of IATA until June 2026 and has held board positions with several international aviation, technology and business organizations.

A native of the Netherlands, van der Werff holds a master’s degree in law from Leiden University and has completed executive studies at Harvard Business School. In addition to Dutch and English, he speaks French and has proficiency in Spanish, Italian and Swedish.

To watch a personal address from Van der Werff as Air Canada’s new President and CEO, click here.

Lead image caption: Anko Van der Werff