Norwegian Air Starts Search for New CEO, Nettavisen Says

(Bloomberg) -- The board of Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA has started looking for someone who might be able to replace Bjorn Kjos as chief executive officer when the 72-year-old steps down, according to a report in Nettavisen.

Nettavisen said Kjos feels he has been running on “overtime” and that he hopes he won’t still be CEO three years from now.

Potential successors include Hurtigruten Group ASA CEO Daniel Skjeldam, as well as Kjos’s daughter and pilot, Anna Helene Kjos, Nettavisen said.

Kjos has been CEO since he founded Norwegian Air in 2002. The CEO also addressed speculation that his company might be acquired, saying Norwegian has never said it’s looking for a buyer. But if it were interested in being taken over, Kjos said International Consolidated Airlines Group SA would be a good fit, according to Nettavisen.

Back in July, the CEO of IAG, Willie Walsh, ruled out a hostile takeover of Norwegian. Speculation of an acquisition has helped drive Norwegian’s share price up by about 46 percent this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Anna Molin in Stockholm at amolin3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tasneem Hanfi Brögger at tbrogger@bloomberg.net

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