airberlin restructuring Cabin Crew Operations and Crew Operations

From now on Thomas Klappert (52) will take over the role of Vice President Cabin Crew Operations and will be responsible for the Cabin Crew Team at airberlin. His area of responsibility will include, for example, the recruitment and training of flight attendants. Klappert will report directly to Helmut Himmelreich, Chief Operation Officer. Klappert worked for LTU from 1984 and has been with airberlin since LTU was taken over by the airline in 2008; he most recently held the position of Vice President Crew Operations in Dusseldorf.

Thomas Suritsch (57) has now taken over the position of Vice President Crew Operations and also reports directly to the Chief Operation Officer, Helmut Himmelreich. From the airline’s base in Dusseldorf, Suritsch is responsible for all planning operations concerning flight crews at Germany’s second largest airline. Originally from Vienna, Suritsch has also worked for Austrian Airlines and was previously managing director of Lauda Air Luftfahrt GmbH.

airberlin is one of Europe’s leading airlines and flies to 150 destinations in 40 countries. The second largest airline in Germany carried more than 33 million passengers in 2012. airberlin offers a global route network through its strategic partnership with Etihad Airways, which has a 29.21% share in airberlin, and through membership of the oneworld® airline alliance. The airline with the award-winning service operates codeshare flights worldwide with 14 airlines. The fleet has an average age of five years and is among the most modern and eco-efficient in Europe.