France’s low-cost airline, French bee has appointed Christine Ourmières-Widener as its new chief executive officer, making her the first female chief executive of the airline. Ourmières-Widener comes to French bee with 35 years of industry experience, including top posts at TAP Air Portugal and Flybe.
Commenting on her new role, Ourmières-Widener said: “I am honored to join French bee’s team and lead France’s top low-cost leisure airline to new heights, especially across the US leisure travel market, where we are seeing strong demand."
Prior to joining French bee, Ourmières-Widener was the chief executive of TAP Air Portugal in June 2021 and was the chief executive of Flybe. Under her leadership, TAP achieved record profits over 2022, all while undergoing extensive restructuring ahead of a proposed sale.
Ourmières-Widener is a leading advocate for more female representation in the upper echelons of the industry. Commenting on women’s rights, she said: “I am also pleased to continue championing and advocating for women joining the aviation industry at French bee, where I look forward to working alongside female industry leaders, including managing director Muriel Assouline."
Prior to her role as cheif executive at Flybe, Ourmières-Widener was the first female chief executive at CityJet, overseeing a sale to Air France-KLM. She led Air France-KLM in the US between 2009 and 2010, also becoming the first female in this role.