RICHMOND, B.C. — A former Spirit Airlines executive has joined the ranks at Canada Jetlines as its new independent director.

Tony Lefebvre, who spent eight years at Spirit Airlines in various senior executive positions including Chief Operating Officer, started his new role at Canada Jetlines on Feb. 5.

“Mr. Lefebvre is a welcome addition to the board,” said Mark Morabito, Executive Chairman of Canada Jetlines. “His extensive experience in the ultra-low cost airline industry will be invaluable to the company as we commence and grow operations.”

At Spirit Airlines, Lefebvre was responsible for operating functions like flight operations, maintenance, inflight, airport operations, systems operations control, safety and security. He was part of the senior management team that successfully publicly listed the company on the NASDAQ and led cost-cutting initiatives that resulted in a sustained sub $0.06 CASM (Cost Per Available Seat Mile).

Prior to Spirit Airlines, he worked with US Airways for 15 years as a Managing Director where he led European operations across 16 countries. Lefebvre is currently President and Chief Operating Officer at BBA Aviation, responsible for its global Engine Services and Signature MRO businesses.

Canada Jetlines has granted a total of 225,000 stock options to Lefebvre in his role as a director. The stock options have been issued for a five-year term, with one quarter vesting every six months from the date of grant.

The airline has also appointed Warren Kinsella and Tayfun Eldem to its Advisory Board.

Kinsella is the president of Daisy Group and was previously a partner at the law firm McMillan Binch. For a number of years, he was United Airlines’ chief consultant in Canada, and also served as the chief government and public relations advisor to the Toronto Port Authority during Porter Airlines’ inception.

Eldem, meanwhile, is a seasoned business executive based in Montreal who has held senior roles at multinational organizations. He was recently reappointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Stock Exchange listed Alderon Iron Ore Corp, and was also the Managing Director and Associate at Hatch Ltd., where he led business development, client engagement and project delivery functions in Eastern North America.

Canada Jetlines has also announced the resignation of Mark Lotz from the Board of Directors.