Skyscanner appoints new CEO

Former COO Bryan Batista to lead travel platform from 1 June

Skyscanner has appointed a new CEO, naming current Chief Operating Officer (COO) Bryan Batista as the replacement for departing Chief Executive John Mangelaars.

Starting 1 June 2025, Batista will lead the travel platform into its next stage of growth, as it looks to break into new markets and add new products. 

Batista joined Skyscanner as COO in January 2024 and has been instrumental in building and implementing the company’s long-term strategic vision, with current CEO Mangelaars saying he had “enormous confidence” in Batista’s leadership and determination to take the company into the future. 

Batista brings 15 years of leadership experience, having held senior business development and partnership positions at Tesla and Booking.com, where he served as acting CEO of Rentalcars.com and Senior Vice President of its trips business unit.

He also spent three years as an Associate Consultant at McKinsey and has an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

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Batista described stepping into the CEO role as a “dream”, where he gets to lead a company that’s on a mission to “become the world’s number one travel ally”.

The platform, which connects more than 160 million users in 180 countries to more than 1,200 flight, hotel and car rentals, has achieved record performances in the last year.

As well as seeing double digit growth in flights, car rental and accommodation, Skyscanner entered high-growth markets, including India where it expects to double its audience, and added rail and package travel options in select markets. 

The platform also recently introduced Drops, a new in-app feature aimed at helping travellers in the UAE and Saudi find the best flight prices.

Batista added: “I am excited that we are now adding rail and package travel options to that mix, delivering the best deals and the widest selection of travel options to our travellers. We are breaking into new markets, adding new products and smarter tools to make travel planning part of the adventure, not the admin.”

For more information, visit www.skyscanner.ae 

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