Breeze Airways announced the appointment of Michael Wuerger as Chief Operating Officer. Mr Wuerger will be replacing Tom Anderson, Breeze co-founder and COO for the last three years, who has decided to retire following the successful addition of the Airbus A220 aircraft to the Breeze fleet.
Mr. Wuerger comes to Breeze with 30 years of aviation industry experience, including an extensive background in airline operational control, safety, and flight training. He is also a pilot with broad experience in the flight deck and providing certification and pilot training.
Mike Wuerger began his career in aviation in 1991 while serving as an officer in the German Air Force. He moved to commercial aviation in 2002 as a flight instructor for Lufthansa Flight Training. In 2005, he joined Mesa Airlines as Director, Safety and Regulatory Compliance. He subsequently joined Allegiant Air in 2013 and most recently served as Vice President, Operations Control Center and FAA Director of Operations, and was accountable for all operations and operations personnel.
In his most recent position, Mr. Wuerger was responsible for the airline’s operational performance, including the implementation of continuous improvement plans, operations automation, and analytical and predictive tools resulting in significant improvement in flight completions, and on-time performance. He employed technology to improve situational awareness within airline operations, and put into effect irregular operations recovery algorithms to reduce human error and prevent unnecessary costs, all while ensuring that Allegiant maintained a safe and efficient operation.
“I want to thank Tom Anderson for his tireless dedication to getting Breeze’s operation off the ground, completing our FAA certification process during the pandemic, and for his additional work over the last several months to add the Airbus A220 to our fleet,” said Breeze CEO David Neeleman. “While Tom will be sorely missed, we’re happy to welcome Mike Wuerger to the team as our new COO. Mike brings a wealth of operational experience to Breeze and I know he’s going to carry on Tom’s great work and take the airline to new heights.”
“I’m thrilled to be joining Breeze at this pivotal time in the airline’s history. In just one year, Breeze has already achieved so much,” said Mr Wuerger. “As the A220 now comes online and the airline expands flights nationally, I’m excited to work with the excellent Ops team at Breeze to further spread our wings.”
Mr. Wuerger holds a Bachelor’s degree in Airway Science Flight Management from Arizona State University and is a Graduate of the German Air Force Officer Training School. He will report to Breeze’s new President Tom Doxey.
