Bernd Bauer succeeds Karl Kistler as CEO of Edelweiss Air

Bernd Bauer (48), currently Vice President Revenue Management, Pricing & Distribution at SWISS, will succeed Karl Kistler (61) in the third quarter of 2014, who, after twelve years as CEO of Edelweiss Air, wishes to place this responsibility in new hands.

Bernd Bauer brings 20 years of experience in aviation and has had a successful career in various management positions at SWISS and Crossair.

Born in Tübingen, he began his career after studying business administration in sales at the then Crossair in Germany. After two years, he moved to Crossair's headquarters in Basel, where he held various management positions, particularly in the network division, until 2002. After the founding of SWISS, he played a key role in establishing the network division, which he shaped in the following years as Vice President Network & Fleet Development. In 2008, Bernd Bauer took over as Head of Sales & Marketing Europe. At the beginning of 2013, he was appointed Head of Revenue Management, Pricing & Distribution.

As the project manager responsible for the acquisition of Edelweiss Air in 2008, he gained in-depth knowledge of Edelweiss. "I am delighted that in Bernd we have found an extremely experienced airliner for the position of Edelweiss CEO, who has proven his skills and drive as a leader over his many years at SWISS," says Edelweiss Air Chairman Harry Hohmeister. "We are convinced that Bernd Bauer will further develop Edelweiss in the coming years and continue the company's success story," he added.

At his own request, Charly Kistler will remain with the company in his role as an airline pilot. "Although it's not yet time to bid farewell to Charly Kistler, I would nevertheless like to highlight his great achievements and valuable commitment over his many years as CEO of Edelweiss and express my sincere thanks," says Harry Hohmeister.