SkyTeam airline alliance appoints a new leadership team with Perry Cantarutti, the former Delta Airlines Senior Vice President of Europe, Middle East and Africa joining SkyTeam as the new Chief Executive Officer.
Cantarutti was instrumental in maximising the profitability of the airline’s trans-Atlantic operations and identifying growth opportunities for its joint venture with Air France, KLM and Alitalia. He has been in the aviation industry for 23 years and forged successful airline partnerships and driving customer-focused results.
Cantarutti will be based at the alliance’s headquarters in Amsterdam and will oversee the implementation of the strategy and business plan of the alliance, maximising the value for customers and member airlines.
Cantarutti holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California – Berkeley and a master’s of business administration from Northwestern University. He also serves on the Northwestern University Transportation Centre Business Advisory Committee.
Michael Wisbrun, SkyTeam’s previous Chief Executive, has taken over as the Chairman of the alliance’s governing board which is made up of the CEOs and Chairmen of the 20 member airlines. Leo van Wijk has retired and served as the Chairman of the Alliance for more than eight years. SkyTeam secured the leading position in Greater China, grew its global presence and set itself apart as the customer focused alliance during Leo’s tenure with Michael as the Chief Executive.
Today SkyTeam is in its 15th year. The alliance members fly to over 1,050 destinations, offering 636 lounges and SkyPriority services to SkyTeam Elite Plus customers. SkyTeam alliance airlines carry 665 million customers each year on more than 16,270 daily flights to 1,057 destinations in 179 countries.
The 20 members are: Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Europa, Air France, Alitalia, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Garuda Indonesia, Kenya Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, Saudia, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines and Xiamen Airlines.
Photo credit: SkyTeam
