Air france said likely to name Juniac to succeed ceo Gourgeon

Air France-KLM Group will likely pick a high-ranking government official as Chief Executive Officer Pierre-Henri Gourgeon’s successor-in-waiting, defying its pilots’ backing for an internal candidate, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

Gourgeon plans to name Alexandre de Juniac as a deputy CEO later this month before appointing him to take over as Air France brand chief in January, said one of the people, who declined to be identified discussing personnel appointments. Juniac, who served as former finance minister Christine Lagarde’s chief of staff, emerged as the preferred candidate at a Sept. 21 board meeting, the people said.

Gourgeon, 65, had his contract renewed by shareholders in July and has said he plans to serve the full four-year term before handing over to a successor to be designated this year and appointed first as head of the Air France unit. Pilots’ representatives at the airline, in which the government owns a 15.7 percent stake, support the candidacy of Lionel Guerin, head of the company’s Transavia charter division, the people said.

Air France spokeswoman Brigitte Barrand declined to comment on the succession plans. A spokeswoman for the airline’s main SNPL pilot union also declined to comment.

Juniac, 48, has served as an advisor to Finance Minister Francois Baroin since Lagarde stepped down in June to head the International Monetary Fund. The company has said it plans to name managing directors for Air France and KLM next year as it pursues closer integration of the two carriers’ management.

Juniac, cited as Gourgeon’s likely successor in French media reports since June, was backed by the board this week, Les Echos reported yesterday.