Tim Strauss leaves Air Canada Cargo to head Amerijet

Tim Strauss, head of Air Canada Cargo, is to join Amerijet as CEO on 17 August.

Vic Karijian, Amerijet’s current chief executive, will become executive chairman, focusing on strategic planning, partnerships and growth.

Mr Strauss has vast experience in air cargo, having worked for 11 years at Emery before joining Northwest/Delta. He headed Haiwaiian Airlines Cargo for five years before joining Air Canada Cargo in 2017, taking over from Lise Marie Turpin.

Amerijet said it was “evolving from being a regional leader to a global provider”, offering scheduled, charter and ACMI services. It received its ETOPS certification this year, has started operations between Miami and Brussels and launched a road feeder service out of Belgium. It also offers capacity between Europe and its network in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

Mr Strauss is said to be excited at the opportunity to become chief executive of a cargo airline, without bowing to the edicts of the passenger business. He also is said to welcome the opportunity to live in Florida, where he could eventually retire.

“Tim brings an enormous amount of expertise and experience to Amerijet and will be a key driver of our future success,” said Mr Karjian. “I am excited to have the opportunity to work with him as we continue the company’s growth as a leading global air cargo provider.”