Norwegian Air Shuttle CEO Bjørn Kjos steps down

July 12, 2019: Norwegian Air Shuttle CFO Geir Karlsen has been appointed as the interim CEO, as Bjørn Kjos stepped down from his position as CEO after 17 years of serving the airline. Kjos will continue in a new role as an advisor to the Board chairman Niels Smedegaard, who will take on a more active role in the management.

Kjos is one of the founders of Norwegian Air Shuttle.

“I am very pleased Bjørn will remain at the company as an advisor to the Board and the Chair. As Norwegian moves from growth to profitability, it will be an advantage for the company to benefit from Bjørn’s extensive network, in-depth knowledge of and experience with global aviation. We have already started the process of recruiting a permanent new CEO,” said Smedegaard, chairman of the board of directors at Norwegian.

During his tenure as CEO, the company developed from a small domestic operation with 130 employees and four aircraft to a global and award-winning low-cost airline with more than 11,000 employees and 162 aircraft.

“I am confident that the board of directors will find the best qualified successor to lead the next chapters of the Norwegian story together with the top management team. Leaving the exciting future tasks to a new CEO and taking on a new challenge as an advisor, is a set-up I am very happy with. I look forward to spending more time working on specific strategic projects that are crucial to the future success of Norwegian,” said Kjos.

Norwegian carries almost 6 million UK passengers each year from London Gatwick, Edinburgh and Manchester Airports to 30 destinations worldwide.