• He should succeed Jaan Albrecht, who has accepted the job as CEO of SunExpress
“I am pleased that we have found Kay Kratky, a highly experienced and accepted airline manager within the Group, who can take the helm at Austrian Airlines”, states Harry Hohmeister, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Austrian Airlines AG. “In my opinion Kratky is the right candidate to lead Austrian Airlines into the next phase of its development, focusing on strengthening the air travel hub in Vienna, increasing profitability and exploiting growth opportunities.”
Kay Kratky (57) has been a Member of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Passage Airlines since 2011. As Chief Operating Officer (COO), he is responsible for flight operations and the Frankfurt hub with about 20,000 employees.
Born in Frankfurt, Kratky concluded his studies in mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Darmstadt before beginning his professional career at Lufthansa in 1979 by training to be a pilot. He became training captain and fleet commander on the Boeing 747 and assumed the position of Head of Operations Control at Lufthansa Cargo AG in 2001. After serving as Head of Transport Management and MD11 Captain, he was appointed to be Managing Director of Jade Cargo International, Shenzen, China in 2008. Since 2011 Kratky has worked as COO and Member of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Passage Airlines.
At today’s extraordinary meeting of the Supervisory Board, Kay Kratky was confirmed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Austrian Airlines. He had been nominated beforehand as the candidate preferred by Lufthansa. Kay Kratky will succeed Jaan Albrecht as CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Austria’s national carrier on August 1, 2015. Albrecht will leave Austrian Airlines on June 1, 2015. In this interim period, the months of June and July, Chief Commercial Officer Andreas Otto will bear sole responsibility on the Management Board. COO Klaus Froese and CFO Heinz Lachinger will continue to be members of the extended board.
Kay Kratky (57) is currently Member of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Passage Airlines. As Chief Operating Officer (COO), he is responsible for flight operations and the Frankfurt hub with about 20,000 employees.