Skyscanner has officially announced that Bryan Batista will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer effective June 1, 2025. Having served as Chief Operating Officer for nearly 18 months, Batista steps into the CEO position following the departure of John Mangelaars, who led the company for four and a half years.
Mangelaars expressed confidence in Batista’s leadership, stating, “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. I have enormous confidence in Bryan’s leadership and determination to take Skyscanner forward in the next stage of its ambitious growth.”
New Skyscanner CEO Bryan Batista
Batista brings a wealth of experience from previous leadership roles at Tesla and Booking.com, where he served as CEO of Rentalcars.com and SVP of their Trips business unit. Since joining Skyscanner, he has been instrumental in shaping the company’s long-term strategic vision, overseeing operations, and expanding non-flight services such as accommodation and car rentals.
In his new role, Batista aims to position Skyscanner as the world’s leading travel companion. He plans to introduce new offerings, including rail and package travel options, and enhance the platform’s capabilities to make trip planning more seamless and enjoyable. “We built Skyscanner because we are travel geeks at heart. We love the thrill of exploring new places and we hate the pain of planning,” Batista remarked. “Stepping into this role is a dream. I get to lead a company that is on a mission to become the world’s number one travel ally.”
Under Batista’s leadership, Skyscanner has already seen significant growth, with its travel products—flights, car hire, and accommodation—achieving double-digit gains over the past year. The company continues to innovate, searching 100 billion prices daily to help travelers plan and book their trips with confidence.
As Skyscanner embarks on this new chapter, the company remains committed to enhancing the travel experience for users worldwide, breaking into new markets, and adding smarter tools to make travel planning part of the adventure.
