Rumours are circulating that Thierry Antinori, a former Lufthansa executive VP, is poised to join Emirates as head of sales based in Dubai.
The move is significant as it means Antinori would take his insider knowledge of Lufthansa’s marketing strategy to the German carrier’s feared rival.
Emirates, which is limited to serving no more than five German cities, has been trying to expand its operations in that country, but without success.
49-year old Antinori resigned from the Lufthansa board earlier this year after being offered the position of chairman and CEO for Austrian Airline.
At the time, Frenchman Antinori cited career plans outside the Lufthansa Group as reasons for his decision.
Now, according to reports in Stuttgart-based Suddeutsche Zeitung (the city’s leading newspaper) and the German edition of the Financial Times, Antinori could join Emirates as early as October, which would be six months since he quit his Lufthansa post.
A spokesperson for Emirates said: “As a matter of policy, we do not comment on industry rumours or speculation about potential employment contracts.”