With more than 30 years of experience, Elie is a prominent Belgian business executive known for his visionary leadership in the aviation and travel industry. He holds a Master’s degree in Electro-Mechanical Engineering (magna cum laude) from KU Leuven - Campus De Nayer, a postgraduate degree in Business Management (magna cum laude) and in Accountancy and Financial Auditing (magna cum laude) from VUB in Brussels.

 

Elie began his career in 1994 at Sabena as Line & Light Maintenance Engineer. 2 years later, he started as Technical Director at Air Belgium and became Technical and Leasing Director at Sobelair in 1998. In 2000, he joined Jetair as Director Traffic & Yield where he pioneered an innovative hybrid business model leveraging the synergy between holiday packages and flight only sales. This model led to the creation of Jetairfly in 2003, a vertically integrated airline that strengthened Jetair’s market position in Belgium. His leadership trajectory continued upward: he was appointed COO Flight Holidays in 2008 and became CEO in 2010.

 

Since the start, TUI fly implemented a self-supply approach to fuel its fleet in the Belgian airports. In this context, Elie became a Statutory Director of the fuel storage company at Brussels Airport, HRS (Hydrant Refuelling System) in 2004 and was later appointed as Chairman of the Board. 

 

His leadership extended internationally within TUI Group. In 2012, he became a Member of the Mainstream Sector Board of TUI Travel PLC, which later evolved into the TUI Group’s Mainstream Board. From November 2012 to December 2013, he chaired the Airline Steering Group at TUI Travel PLC. Starting 2014, he served as CEO of TUI BeNe, overseeing Belgium and the Netherlands. In 2015, Elie was appointed to the Group Executive Committee of TUI AG, taking responsibility for the Western Region—Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Morocco. Under his leadership, Jetair and Jetairfly were successfully rebranded as TUI and TUI fly Belgium in 2016.

 

During his career, Elie led the integration of TUI’s operations across the Western Region, drove innovation, and successfully restructured the French business, including the sale of Corsair.

 

He parted ways with TUI on 1 October 2024, after more than two decades, to pursue new ventures and support innovative business initiatives.

 

His contributions have earned him several awards, including being named “Man of the Year” at the Travel Magazine Travel Awards in 2004, 2013 and 2016, and by the Aviation Press Club in 2010.