As of January 1, 2020, the Belgian Dieter Vranckx will become the new CEO of Brussels Airlines reporting to the SN Airholding Board of Directors. Next to his responsibilities as Chief Executive Officer, Vranckx will hold the position of Chief Commercial Officer at Brussels Airlines, taking over the responsibilities of Christina Foerster, who has joined the company in 2016 as CCO and has been leading the airline since April 2018. Foerster will join the Lufthansa Group Executive Board, heading the “Customer & Corporate Responsibility” of the Group on January 1, 2020.
Vranckx (46) has been Chief Financial Officer and Deputy CEO of Brussels Airlines since May 2018. In 1998, Vranckx held the position of Operations Manager at Sabena, before joining Swissair in Zurich in 2000 as Senior Manager Network Planning Europe. At the end of 2001, he was part of the network planning team setting up the newly created SN Brussels Airlines network. Between 2001 and 2016, he headed several departments within the Lufthansa Group. In this way, based in Hong-Kong, Vranckx led between 2003 and 2006 the Asia Pacific markets for Swiss International Airlines. After 2006, he acted as Vice President Asia & Africa for Swiss WorldCargo. From 2010 until 2013, he was Regional Director USA Midwest and Canada at Lufthansa Cargo and between 2013 and 2016 Vice President Home Markets at Swiss International Air Lines. From 2016 till 2018, Vranckx was leading the Lufthansa Group Sales in Asia Pacific, based in Singapore.“Dieter Vranckx is well-known to the aviation industry,” said Etienne Davignon, Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of SN Airholding. “Since more than one year he is successfully fulfilling his role as Chief Financial Officer of Brussels Airlines. He is also heading the company’s turnaround plan REBOOT aiming at reaching structural profitability as of 2022. As real aviation expert and all-round manager who is very familiar with the Lufthansa Group, he is the right person to bring Brussels Airlines to the next level, together with his teams.
“At the same time, I wish to thank Christina Foerster for her exemplary commitment the last three years, bringing Brussels Airlines not only even closer to the Lufthansa Group, but increasing the company’s competitiveness by setting the right priorities and establishing a strong managerial structure. Together with my colleague Jan Smets, I wish Mrs. Foerster the very best with her new responsibilities. I am sure that her in-depth knowledge of Brussels Airlines within the Lufthansa Group Executive Board will further promote the synergies between the two companies.”