Union raises concerns over incoming Air Canada CEO’s current airline

Air Canada’s pilots’ union says it is worried about what it describes as retaliatory and antilabour conduct by Scandinavian Airlines, the company currently led by Air Canada’s incoming chief executive, Anko van der Werff. The concern centres on the firing of SAS captain Mattias Åman Thiel, who also chairs the Swedish pilots’ association at the airline. SAS has not given a public reason for the dismissal, while the pilots’ union says Thiel should be reinstated and has taken the matter to the Swedish Labour Court. ALPA Canada has told van der Werff that his response will signal how he may work with Air Canada pilots when he takes over as CEO by the end of January. SAS says it values labour cooperation and does not treat employees differently based on their position or relationships.