Air France-KLM Appoints Joris Holtus its GM for East, Southern Africa, Nigeria and Ghana

Air France-KLM has announced the appointment of Joris Holtus as the new General Manager for East and Southern Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana, effective immediately.

Holtus takes over from Marius van der Ham, who has held the role for the past three years and was instrumental in expanding the Group’s footprint and strengthening partnerships across the region.

With a distinguished career spanning over 25 years across four continents, Holtus brings a wealth of experience in commercial strategy, customer experience, and business transformation.

This marks a return to the continent for Holtus, who previously served as General Manager for Southern Africa for the airline group, overseeing all commercial, operational, and organizational functions for three years.

“We are excited to welcome Joris Holtus back to Africa in this critical leadership role,” said Hildabeta Amiani, Country Sales Manager, Kenya at Air France-KLM. “His deep understanding of diverse markets, commitment to transformation, and passion for people make him ideally suited to lead our continued growth in this dynamic region.”

A Track Record of Global Impact

In his most recent role as Vice President of Sales Planning & Development at Air France-KLM’s headquarters in Amstelveen and Paris (Roissy-Charles de Gaulle), Holtus led a 100-member team in reshaping the Group’s global sales structure, championing innovation, and driving business performance.

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Some of his career highlights include:

• Launching the Corporate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) program, positioning the Group as a sustainability leader in the aviation industry.
• Leading digital transformation and turnaround strategies to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.
• Spearheading revenue growth and network expansion across Latin America and the Caribbean as General Manager for Mid-Americas & Dutch Caribbean.
• Introducing customer-centric innovations like SkyPriority and KLM’s Meet & Seat program.

Holtus holds a Master’s degree in Business Economics from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

“I am honored to rejoin the region at such an exciting time for aviation in Africa,” Holtus said.

“The East, Southern, and West African markets present tremendous opportunities for growth and innovation. I look forward to working with our teams and partners to further enhance connectivity and elevate the customer experience.”

Strengthening Regional Connectivity

Holtus assumes the leadership role at a time when Air France-KLM is actively expanding its presence in Africa.

Air France recently launched new flights to Kilimanjaro, marking its entry into northern Tanzania and reaffirming its commitment to improving access to and from the continent.

The airline also operates daily direct flights from Nairobi to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, reinforcing its strategic importance in East Africa.

KLM, on the other hand, continues to enhance its services within Tanzania, offering: Seven weekly flights to Dar es Salaam, Five weekly flights to Kilimanjaro and Two weekly flights to Zanzibar