Air Canada names Anko van der Werff, chief executive of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), as its next chief executive officer. The Montreal-based airline says he will succeed Michael Rousseau, who is scheduled to retire. Sources report Rousseau’s retirement takes effect at the end of August, while van der Werff is set to take on the Air Canada role in January 2027 and to join the airline’s board of directors by the end of January 2027. One outlet reports van der Werff will remain in his current position at SAS until his planned departure in early 2027. Skift adds that van der Werff speaks French, contrasting with Rousseau’s language situation, and notes he speaks that language plus several others to varying degrees. The appointment therefore sets a transition period between Rousseau’s retirement and van der Werff’s start date, with Air Canada preparing a leadership change from late summer 2026 into January 2027.