Air Canada names Anko Van der Werff as new CEO following predecessor’s French-language fracas

Anko Van der Werff talks during an event in Copenhagen, Denmark, on June 30. The president and CEO of Scandinavian Airlines will take over at Air Canada by January.

Abby Hughes (new window) · CBC News

Air Canada on Wednesday named Anko Van der Werff as its next president and CEO.

Van der Werff, currently president and chief executive officer at Scandinavian Airlines, will take on the new role by January.

It is an honour to be chosen to lead this iconic Canadian company as it advances its ambitions and strategy, Van der Werff said in a news release.

Before his current post, Van der Werff served as CEO of the South American airline Avianca, and worked in other high-up roles including Aeromexico, Qatar Airways and KLM, according to his LinkedIn. He's also served on the boards of international organizations in the aviation and business sectors.

Van der Werff succeeds Michael Rousseau, who announced his retirement (new window) after 19 years with Air Canada earlier this year, following a controversial English-only condolence announcement about the deadly crash at New York's LaGuardia airport.

The runway crash between a fire truck and Air ⁠Canada Express Flight 8646 killed both pilots — one of whom was from Quebec (new window) — and sent many passengers to hospital.

Air Canada CEO to retire after collision statement controversy

Air Canada has announced CEO Michael Rousseau will retire by this fall, one week after he was roundly criticized for releasing an English-only condolence video following a deadly collision between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport.

His four-minute video message was delivered in English with French subtitles, aside from Rousseau saying bonjour at the beginning and merci at the end.

The video caused backlash among French-speaking Canadians, and Parliament's official languages committee summoned Rousseau to Ottawa (new window) to answer questions. Politicians, including Prime Minister Mark Carney and then Quebec premier François Legault, also criticized the video at the time.

It wasn't the first time Rousseau had come under fire for his inability to speak French. In 2021, Rousseau was criticized for delivering a speech almost entirely in English to a crowd of business leaders in Montreal, prompting then deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland to write a letter to Air Canada's board insisting Rousseau improve his French skills.

Following the outcry to his response to the LaGuardia crash, Rousseau expressed regret (new window) that his inability to speak French had distracted from the tragedy. The executive added that despite his efforts to improve his French, he was still unable to adequately express himself in the official language.

WATCH | Remembering pilots killed in crash at LaGuardia:

Pilots killed in Air Canada crash at LaGuardia airport remembered

Friends, family and colleagues are remembering Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther — the pilots of the Air Canada Express plane involved in the deadly collision at LaGuardia airport.

Rousseau's retirement is effective Aug. 31, and the airline's executive committee will report to the board of directors during the transition period, the release noted.

Choosing Van der Werff was the result of a comprehensive global search with a number of performance criteria according to Air Canada — including the ability to speak in French.

As a native of the Netherlands, Van der Werff speaks Dutch, but is able to communicate in French, according to Air Canada. He also speaks English and has learned Spanish, Italian and Swedish throughout his career.

Air Canada's website has an English (new window) and French version (new window) of a greeting from Van der Werff alongside the media release, depending on whether users view the site's English or French pages.

In the English version, Van der Werff says he is mindful of the importance of serving Canadians in both official languages, which he called a fundamental responsibility of the airline.