WestJet Founder Beddoe to Step Down as CEO

MONTREAL -- Clive Beddoe, the maverick founder of WestJet Airlines Ltd. , will step down as chief executive on Sept. 4, the profitable discount airline said Tuesday.

Sean Durfy will become president and chief executive on the same day.

"I will continue to play a key role within WestJet as the company's executive chairman by establishing and supporting the strategic direction of the company," Beddoe said in a statement.

Beddoe, a private pilot born in 1947, was the main force behind the creation of WestJet in February 1996. The company, which has been publicly traded since 1999, started with 220 employees and three aircraft flying to five destinations in Western Canada.

Following the discount airline model of carriers such as Southwest Airlines Co., WestJet expanded into eastern Canada to compete with Air Canada , the country's dominant airline, which restructured under bankruptcy protection.

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WestJet currently has 66 jets flying to 64 destinations in 12 countries. It had annual revenues of C$1.8 billion ($1.7 billion) in 2006.

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