SEASONED airline executive Andre Viljoen is returning to the helm of Air Mauritius as its new chief executive officer.
The national carrier of the Republic of Mauritius made the announcement on Thursday this week.
“After an extensive head-hunting exercise, Air Mauritius is pleased to announce that Mr Andre Viljoen has been selected to become the next chief executive officer of the company,” the airline said in a statement.
The outgoing managing director and chief executive officer of Fiji Airways will be stepping down from that role effective October this year.
Fiji Airways board chairman Nalin Patel said Mr Viljoen had accepted the new position and will be returning home after a decade of “exceptional leadership” in the country.
Mr Viljoen, however, will remain on the board of directors after his transition.
Mr Patel had also clarified that there would be no conflict of interest given the different markets served by the two airline companies.
Mr Viljoen had joined Fiji Airways from Air Mauritius in October 2015, and now returns to the same company he had transformed and restored to profitability.
Born in South Africa, the chartered accountant has 33 years of seasoned airline experience, and holds an Honours Degree in Commerce.
He started his airline career with Comair British Airways in South Africa in the 1980’s as financial manager, and soon grew to the position of group financial and commercial director, which he held for more than 10 years.
According to his biodata provided by Fiji Airways, Mr Viljoen played an instrumental role in elevating Comair from a small regional airline to becoming South African Airways’ principal domestic competitor flying the British Airways brand.
He then went on in 1992 to join South African Express Airways, the largest regional airline in South Africa, as chief operating officer.
In 1995, Mr Viljoen joined South African Airways, South Africa’s national airline, as chief financial officer before taking over as president and chief executive officer in 2000 until 2005.
From 2006, he joined the tour operator group Cullinan Holdings as its chief executive officer.
In 2009, he joined Air Mauritius until 2015 when he joined Fiji Airways.
Mr Viljoen will assume office from October 15.
Air Mauritius’ network covers several destinations in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and in the Indian Ocean.
Fiji Airways’ transformation under Mr Viljoen’s stewardship:
• Fiji Airways’ SKYTRAX Rating improved to 4 Stars, with its global ranking soaring from 102nd in 2015 to an impressive 14th in 2024;
• Fiji Airways was awarded ‘Best Airline in Australia/Pacific’ for two consecutive years and earned the APEX 5 Star Major Airline rating for three years running;
• The fleet has doubled in size, from 12 aircraft in 2015 to 24 today, including four new-generation Airbus A350s, widely recognised as among the most modern and fuel-efficient commercial aircraft in the world’ and
• Annual revenue has grown significantly, from $ 815.3 million in 2015 to $ 1.9 billion in 2024.
Among his many other accomplishments, Mr Viljoen also led the development of the airline’s world-class Aviation Academy, now home to four state-of-the-art full-flight simulators.
This initiative has not only enhanced cost efficiency but also raised the standard of pilot training by supporting more Fijians to become captains and attracting major third-party clients such as Air Tahiti, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas.
Also, during the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, his visionary ‘Future-Fit Ready Strategy’ and proactive approach, the airline was the first to resume services when borders reopened in Australia and New Zealand, positioning it for post-pandemic growth, resulting in record passenger numbers and financial performance in 2023.
