Benjamin SMITH

About Benjamin SMITH

Benjamin Smith is a senior international airline executive, best known for serving as Chief Executive Officer of Air France-KLM since September 2018. He was appointed by the Air France-KLM Board in August 2018 and formally took up his duties on September 17, 2018. His arrival came at a pivotal moment for the group, which was seeking stronger strategic momentum and a renewed managerial approach. Prior to joining Air France-KLM, Smith built the core of his career at Air Canada, where he spent nearly two decades. He held a series of increasingly senior positions, including Head of Network Planning and later Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer. In 2014, he was promoted to President Airlines and Chief Operating Officer, with broad responsibility for commercial affairs, operations, and customer relations across the group. This progression reflects deep expertise in airline strategy, revenue generation, operations, and customer experience. His professional path began early in the travel and airline sector. In 1990, while studying, he started as a customer service agent at Air Ontario. He then took an entrepreneurial route by founding and running his own corporate travel agency for eight years. He also worked as a consultant to Air Canada before formally joining the company in 2002. This combination of entrepreneurial experience and operational exposure gave him a practical understanding of customer needs, distribution, and commercial performance. At Air France-KLM, Smith has been associated with a transformation agenda centered on competitiveness, operational discipline, and social dialogue. The company described him as a globally recognized airline leader who played a major role in Air Canada’s economic and commercial development, as well as its transformation and value creation. At Air France-KLM, he has been linked to priorities such as revitalizing Air France, strengthening managerial effectiveness, and accelerating environmental initiatives, notably through fleet renewal and increased use of sustainable aviation fuels.