After a seven-year tenure, Shai Weiss will stand down as CEO of Virgin Atlantic at the end of 2025. He will be replaced by current COO Corneel Koster.

Koster re-joined Virgin Atlantic in 2019 as Board Member and Chief Customer Officer, expanding his role to Chief Customer and Operating Officer in 2020. As part of the leadership team, he played a pivotal role ensuring the airline emerged from the pandemic thriving and reliable, while leading the introduction of the airline’s award-winning A330neo aircraft and delivering digital operational transformation.

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Spanning three decades, Koster has extensive leadership experience in the sector, holding senior operational and commercial roles at Virgin Atlantic and partners Delta Air Lines, Aeroméxico and KLM, contributing to his deep understanding and passion for travel and aviation. Between 2010 and 2013, Koster held the position of Director of Operations, Safety and Security at Virgin Atlantic.

Shai  Weiss became CEO in January 2019, steering the Company through the Covid-19 pandemic, completing a full transformation and delivering record performance in 2024. He joined the airline as Chief Financial Officer in 2014 and later served as Chief Commercial Officer. During his tenure, the airline returned to profitability, has led customer satisfaction across the Atlantic, was rated each year as the UK’s only Global Five Star operator by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX), and as No1 Most Loved Workplace by Newsweek.