(Bloomberg) -- Airbus SE is set to name a former General Electric Co. executive as the planemaker’s sales chief in Europe, according to people familiar with the matter.
Wouter Van Wersch, who until last month was president and chief executive officer for Asia-Pacific at GE, will take up the role from Sept. 1, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the move isn’t yet public. He will report to commercial head Christian Scherer, they said.
Van Wersch will be tasked with navigating Airbus through the pandemic with some of its biggest customers, while seeking to minimize the jolt to aircraft sales and production. He’ll also be responsible for managing relationships with Air France-KLM, EasyJet Plc and Deutsche Lufthansa AG, among others.
Airbus, based in Toulouse, France, declined to comment on individual appointments.
Van Wersch said in a July 8 LinkedIn post that he had left GE for a new role in France. He couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on Monday.
The appointment comes at a challenging time for Airbus, even though the company has largely managed to avoid order cancellations tied to the virus. Keeping lines of communication open with customers whose revenues continue to be affected by travel quarantines will be vital.
Europe’s biggest discounter, Ryanair Holdings Plc, said Monday it’s slashing the number of flights for September and October after demand weakened. Other carriers are said to be weighing similar cuts following a European surge in new virus cases.
Read more: Ryanair Cuts Flights, Others Weigh Capacity Amid Virus Surge
According to his LinkedIn profile, Van Wersch worked for Airbus as an Asia Pacific sales manager for Matra Communication. The role lasted almost three years beginning in 1997. He has also held positions at Alcatel Lucent SAS, and Alstom SA. He spent almost five years with GE following its acquisition of Alstom’s power and grid unit.
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