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CANADA | Business
VIRGÍLIO RUSSI: The Brazilian Behind Air Canada’s International Sales By Luis Aparício & Leila Monteiro Lins
He is responsible for the company’s strategies and sales targets in all international markets and continues to lead Air Canada’s participation in the Trans-Atlantic joint venture.
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ir Canada named Brazilian executive Virgílio Russi as its new Managing Director of International Sales. He is responsible for the company’s entire commercial business in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America since last December. While employed with Air Canada since 1996, Russi has had the opportunity to manage the company’s operations in Argentina and Brazil. For the past 15 years, he has been in Toronto, and before his promotion, he was responsible for the company’s national commercial sector. After a restructuring period, Canada and the United States established a single sector and all international divisions were unified under the command of Russi.
Growth of the International Division Russi has always had an affinity for the international sector. “It’s an interesting challenge to be
Virgílio Russi gives an exclusive interview to Discover Magazine.
able to help the company grow in this area. Our priority is the growth of the international division.” The executive points out the company’s strong growth, more than 80 new destinations in the last five years. However, he does recognize that one needs to take into account the challenges in respect to the available fleet, as in the case of the Boeing 737 Max models, which were unable to fly until the Boeing manufacturer fixed the software problem identified in those aircrafts. Russi emphasizes that the international sector is subject to geopolitical, public health and economic issues, among others, which directly affect the flights. He mentions the economic situation in Argentina, the fires that affected Australia and the Coronavirus in China.
