(TAN): Thomas Klühr will step down from the position of CEO of Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) at the end of 2020 after some five years at the company and more than 30 years within the Lufthansa Group.
He will simultaneously step down as chairman of the Board of Directors of Edelweiss Air. Klühr has been CEO of SWISS since February 2016, in which time he has overseen the biggest fleet modernization in the company’s history. Under his leadership, SWISS has also further cemented its position as a premium carrier over the past few years.
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“Our entire Board of Directors deeply regrets Thomas Klühr’s decision,” says Reto Francioni, chairman of the SWISS Board of Directors. “Our company has a great deal to thank him for, and not only during the coronavirus pandemic of the last few months. Thomas Klühr has brought SWISS a long way further on its successful course. And following the outbreak of Covid-19, with his skill and his commitment he has played an essential part in stabilizing the company in financial and operational terms.”
“I would like to offer Thomas Klühr particular thanks for delaying his originally planned departure at the end of March of this year when the present crisis developed, and for subsequently steering SWISS with such dexterity through these difficult times,” Francioni said.
Carsten Spohr, CEO of the Lufthansa Group, said: “I would like to thank Thomas Klühr for his many years of work, commitment and successes at the Lufthansa Group. In the more than 30 years that he has been with us, he has helped shape our business in various positions and capacities. And over that time he has earned the highest admiration and respect, not only in Germany and Switzerland but throughout the airline industry.”
