Flights search aggregator Skyscanner appoints former Tesla staffer as new CEO

Dubai: Flights and hotel search aggregator Skyscanner has announced that Bryan Batista will be its new chief executive officer. Batista, who serves as Chief Operating Officer, will take over the CEO role on June 1, succeeding John Mangelaars.

Batista joined Skyscanner in January 2024 and has played a key role in shaping the company’s long-term strategy. Before Skyscanner, he held leadership positions at Tesla and Booking.com as CEO of Rentalcars.com and SVP of their Trips business unit.

Skyscanner said Mangelaars is stepping down after four and a half years at the helm to pursue new opportunities. He expressed strong confidence in Batista’s ability to lead Skyscanner’s future growth.

Mangelaars said, “After four and a half incredible years, I am stepping down as CEO and passing the baton to Bryan. The company is in a great position, and I feel that now is the right time for me personally to make this change and pursue new ventures.” He added, “I have enormous confidence in Bryan’s leadership and determination to take Skyscanner forward in the next stage of its ambitious growth.”

Skyscanner connects over 160 million users monthly across 180 countries, offering flight, hotel, and car rental options, including users in the UAE. The platform has recently expanded to include rail and package travel in select markets. The company reported record performance in the past year, with significant growth across its travel products and expansion into high-growth markets like India.

Batista said, “We built Skyscanner because we are travel geeks. We love the thrill of exploring new places, and we hate the pain of planning.” He added, “Since joining Skyscanner, I’ve worked closely with our incredible teams and travel partners.”

Skyscanner recently also made rail and package travel options available in select markets. “I am excited that we are now adding rail and package travel options to that mix - delivering the best deals and the widest selection of travel options to our travellers. We are breaking into new markets, adding new products and smarter tools to make travel planning part of the adventure, not the admin,” said Batista.

Last month, Skyscanner introduced Drops – a feature that helps travellers find the best deal for their 2025 holidays – to travellers in the UAE, including the Middle East. During its initial pilot phases, Malé was ranked as the number one destination for the most significant average flight cost savings among UAE passengers in January, while Cairo topped the list for Saudi Arabia in March.

Drops is Skyscanner’s app-only feature that uses push notifications to provide relevant, timely and personalised flight drops.