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Jetlines approves board at AGM
Canada Jetlines Ltd., the planned Canadian ultra low-cost airline headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, had all of the nominees listed in the management information circular for the 2018 Annual General and Special Meeting of shareholders (June 28) elected as directors.
July 3, 2018 By Wings Staff
Subsequent to the AGM, Jetlines appointed its new chief executive officer, Lukas Johnson, as a director of the Company. The new board directors include Mark Morabito, Deborah Robinson, Rejean Bourque, Jason Grant, Saad Hammad and Tony Lefebvre.
Johnson was appointed as CEO in late May. He has held progressively senior roles over an eight-year span with Allegiant Travel Company, an ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) in the United States, most recently as Senior Vice President, Commercial. Under his leadership, Allegiant had the fastest expanding network in North America, as it grew to over 400 routes and 120 airports served. Prior to Allegiant, Johnson worked for Milliman Inc. and Transamerica in the actuarial field. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Northwestern University.
A week before its historical AGM, Jetlines also appointed of Javier Suarez as chief commercial officer, effective July 30, 2018. “Javier’s ultra-low-cost carrier expertise in network planning and revenue management gained with many years of experience at VivaAerobus and Vueling will be invaluable as we continue to develop and deliver on the Jetlines strategy,” said Johnson.
Suarez most recently served as VP, network planning, revenue management, e-commerce with VivaAerobus. During his tenure, he was responsible for growing its fleet from 13 to 32 aircraft between 2014 and 2018, managing the majority of commercial functions, including the online commercial distribution and negotiations with various third-party vendors. During the last four years, he helped launch 55 routes with a 98 per cent success rate.
Suarez previously held progressively senior roles with Vueling Airlines from 2010 to 2014, an ultra-low-cost carrier in Europe, most notably as the director of network planning, scheduling, slots and corporate affairs. During his tenure, Javier managed the network of the airline, growing the fleet size from 38 to 105 aircraft in a four-year span.
On June 13, Jetlines also announced that it has partnered with AerCap, a global player in aircraft leasing and aviation finance, and has signed a Definitive Lease Agreement for two Airbus A320 aircraft, effective June 12, 2018. Delivery of the two aircraft is expected by the first half of 2019.
Jetlines plans to establish its base in Hamilton, Southern Ontario, then establish a secondary base in Abbotsford, British Columbia. It plans to operate flights across Canada and provide non-stop service from Canada to the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.
