PARIS, Aug 16 (Reuters) - The board of Air France-KLM AIRF.PA named Air Canada AC.TO executive Benjamin Smith as its new chief executive on Thursday, opting for an outsider to try and steer the group through a fraught stand-off with unions at its French carrier.
Smith, until now the Canadian airline's chief operating officer, will take up his new job at Air France-KLM at the latest by September 30, the company said in a statement.
His appointment comes more than three months after Jean-Marc Janaillac stepped down as CEO after staff rejected a pay deal intended to end a wave of costly strikes at Air France.