Corneel Koster is Chief Customer & Operating Officer and Executive Board Member at Virgin Atlantic, responsible for the delivery and continuous improvement of the airline’s unique customer experience, as well as its safe and reliable global operations.

In this role, Corneel leads all operational and customer facing teams, including Pilots, Operations Control Centre, Engineers, Cabin Crew, Crew Logistics, Customer Centres, Airports, Clubhouses, Inflight Services. He also serves as Virgin Atlantic’s Accountable Manager for safety and security. As part of airline’s leadership team, Corneel played a pivotal role in guiding Virgin Atlantic through the pandemic, ensuring the airline emerged thriving and reliable, while leading the introduction of the airline’s award-winning A330neo aircraft and delivering digital operational transformation. He will become Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Atlantic on January 1, 2026.

With more than three decades of experience in aviation, Corneel has held senior operational and commercial leadership roles with Virgin Atlantic’s partners Delta Air Lines, Aeroméxico and KLM, giving him a deep understanding of, and passion for, travel and aviation.

Before rejoining Virgin Atlantic in 2019, he served as Delta Air Lines’ Senior Vice President for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India (EMEAI), overseeing all commercial activities and partnerships across the region. Prior to that, as Chief Operating Officer for Grupo Aeroméxico, Corneel was responsible for the operational excellence and service delivery of the national flag carrier of Mexican and its regional feeder airline, as well as the company’s cargo and ground-handling subsidiaries. Between 2010 and 2013, he held the position of Director of Operations, Safety and Security at Virgin Atlantic, following a series of commercial leadership roles in passenger, ground handling and cargo businesses at KLM.

Originally from the Netherlands, Corneel holds an MSc (drs.) in Business Administration from the University of Groningen. Besides the Netherlands and the UK, he has lived in Malta, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Mexico, and now resides with his family in the beautiful South Downs in East Sussex, UK.