airberlin Appoints New CEO

Air Berlin has appointed Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, 56, as the new Chief Executive Officer of the airline, effective immediately.

Prock-Schauer also becomes an Executive Director on the Board of Directors of Air Berlin PLC. Prock-Schauer succeeds Hartmut Mehdorn, who has held the position of Chief Executive Officer on an interim basis since 1 September 2011. Mehdorn will continue to serve as Non-Executive Director of the Board.

Dr Hans-Joachim Körber, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Air Berlin PLC, paid tribute to Mr Mehdorn and thanked him for his outstanding contribution over the last 15 months. “In the face of the crisis in European aviation, he has set the company on a new path, to make it more competitive in line with market conditions and has laid key foundations for the future,” Dr Körber said. “With Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, the top position at airberlin will be taken over by a widely respected expert in the airline industry, who has extensive experience in international management. He will continue to promote the process of change and, as CEO, take responsibility from the start for the planned two-year Turbine Turnaround Program and press ahead with the decisive reorganisation of the company.”

Wolfgang Prock-Schauer added, “airberlin is facing huge challenges. We must continue to push our process of change forward rapidly to become lean and smart, so that we can be successful in the global competitive environment. Together with my colleagues on the Board of Directors, the Management Board, and the employees of airberlin we will put all our effort into this task.”

Until now Prock-Schauer has held the post of Chief Strategy and Network Planning Officer (CSPO) on the Management Board of airberlin, and he will continue in this role until further notice.

After graduating in Business Administration from Vienna University he started his professional career in 1981 with Austrian Airlines, where, as Executive Vice President, his responsibilities included network management, strategic planning and alliances, as well as the integration of regional airlines Lauda Air and Tyrolean.

In 2003 he moved to India as CEO of Jet Airways. In 2005 he successfully led Jet Airways to become a registered company on the stock exchange and expanded the company’s long-haul business and global network with other airlines.

From 2009 to 2012 Wolfgang Prock-Schauer was CEO of British Midland International, where he introduced numerous productivity improvements. Prock-Schauer is married and has three children.

airberlin currently flies to 170 destinations in 40 countries.