Death notice of former director of Transavia Peter Legro

As a true pioneer, he has played a crucial role in the Dutch aviation industry. Under the leadership of Legro, Transavia has been transformed from a small charter airline into a competitive low-cost airline.

Peter Legro grew up in Groningen near Eelde airport, where his dream of becoming an aviator originated. Due to his height of just under two meters, he was rejected for pilot training. After his first job at tire manufacturer Firestone in Liberia, he switched to Pan American Airlines. For PanAm he held various positions around the world and was eventually stationed at Schiphol East, where he later started his career at Transavia.

"We are intensely sad about Peter's death," says Mattijs ten Brink, general manager of Transavia. "He was the connection with the past and we are still building on that past. What makes us special, the way we interact with each other and with our passengers, was in his management style. With his drive and personal attention to everyone, he got Transavia moving, both on the ground and in the air."

After Legro's retirement in 2002, his involvement with Transavia has remained just as strong. In an interview on the occasion of Transavia's 50th anniversary in November 2016, he said: "It sounds strange, but Transavia is still mine. Emotionally."

A bust of aviation pioneer Peter Legro adorns Schiphol, next to those of John Block, Martin Schröder and Albert Plesman.

All employees and the Supervisory Board of Transavia wish the family a lot of strength in this difficult period.