SkyTeam CEO Patrick Roux on the goal to be the ‘most integrated’ airline alliance

In June 2025, SkyTeam, the youngest of all three major global airline alliances, will turn 25. From the four original founding members, Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM, Aeroméxico, and Korean Air, SkyTeam has grown to encompass 19 carriers from all over the world. AeroTime spoke with SkyTeam CEO Patrick Roux to better understand the current state of the alliance, its inner workings, and what sets it apart from its global competitors, Star Alliance and oneworld. A telecommunications engineer by background, Roux is an airline industry veteran who, prior to leading SkyTeam, held a string of senior roles at Air France-KLM at different locations around the world. “I started in revenue management, implementing the first yield management system at Air France,” he said. “That was prior to becoming the Chief of Staff of Air France’s CEO.” A key development in Roux’s career took place in 2004, with the successful merger of Air France with Dutch flag carrier KLM. As the airline’s then Head of Marketing, Roux was instrumental in defining and implementing the group’s dual marketing strategy, a set up that remains in place to this day. <br/>