The appointment of seasoned hospitality executive André Erasmus as Chief Operating Officer at Auriga International Management Consultancy has implications that extend far beyond the firm’s Abu Dhabi base. With Auriga closely aligned with asset owners and operators across the Gulf and wider global markets, this strategic move promises to influence how flagship carriers such as Emirates, Qatar Airways and Air France conceive, develop and operate their hospitality and tourism assets, from premium lounges and airport hotels to resort partnerships and branded residences. As aviation and tourism continue to converge around integrated guest experiences, Erasmus’ expertise in operations, refurbishment and asset repositioning could help redefine service benchmarks for some of the world’s most influential airlines.

A Strategic Hire in a Transforming Hospitality Landscape

Auriga International Management Consultancy announced on February 13, 2026, that André Erasmus has joined the firm as Chief Operating Officer, reinforcing its leadership just as the Middle East hospitality and tourism market enters a new phase of growth and consolidation. The firm, headquartered in Abu Dhabi and active across Dubai, the wider Gulf region and Africa, has built a reputation for its end to end, asset focused approach to hospitality and real estate advisory, spanning feasibility, asset management, brand repositioning, refurbishment and operational optimization. This is not a design studio in isolation but a consultancy embedded in an asset’s full life cycle, which is precisely where airline controlled hospitality comes into play.

Erasmus brings a career shaped within international hospitality brands, with a track record of turning design intent and brand standards into day to day performance on the ground. According to Auriga’s leadership, his remit includes strengthening operational frameworks, scaling service delivery and expanding refurbishment capabilities for owners seeking to maximize asset performance across market cycles. For airlines that increasingly think like hotel groups, this blend of strategic oversight and operational detail is particularly relevant to their lounges, joint venture hotels and destination projects in key hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Paris.

Unlike traditional consulting appointments that remain largely theoretical, this role is expected to have tangible effects on existing and future assets. In practice, that may mean reimagined airport hospitality zones, more commercially resilient city hotels attached to major airline hubs and improved performance from mixed use developments where aviation, retail and lodging intersect. As Auriga positions itself as a partner for owners and operators, airlines looking to refresh the physical touchpoints of their customer journeys now have a consultancy fronted by an operator who understands the granular realities of service delivery.

Why Emirates, Qatar Airways and Air France Stand to Gain

Emirates, Qatar Airways and Air France sit at the forefront of aviation driven hospitality, each with a significant footprint in premium lounges, branded dining concepts, and partnerships with hotel and resort groups in their home markets and beyond. These airlines are not merely transport providers; they are curators of travel ecosystems that begin at booking and extend through airports, onboard experiences and onward stays. As such, the disciplines Auriga specializes in – asset management, refurbishment and operational optimization – map closely onto the evolution needs of these carriers’ hospitality portfolios.

For Emirates, whose Dubai hub is anchored by a dense network of partnerships with hotels, tourism authorities and destination management companies, a consultancy that can align owner expectations with actual operating performance is a powerful ally. As the airline continues to invest in premium lounges and partner hotels that support its global network, the ability to extract higher returns through smarter refurbishments, improved guest flow and stronger food and beverage programming is central to maintaining its competitive edge in long haul travel.

Qatar Airways, with its flagship Hamad International Airport in Doha and a strong focus on high yield premium traffic, has similarly pursued a hospitality strategy that hinges on world class lounges, transit hotels and curated destination products tied into the broader Qatar tourism proposition. The national strategy to position the country as a stopover and events destination demands hospitality assets that perform operationally as well as symbolically. Expertise from a consultancy like Auriga, now reinforced by Erasmus’ operational leadership, could strengthen the business cases behind such assets, ensuring they deliver consistent service quality while remaining financially resilient.

Air France, based at Paris Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly, operates in a different regulatory and competitive environment but faces the same imperative to differentiate through hospitality. With growing emphasis on premium leisure and connecting traffic, the airline’s lounges, partner hotels and even branded ground experiences are increasingly important levers. In Europe’s more fragmented asset owner landscape, a consultancy focused on lifecycle value and refurbishment strategy can help Air France and its partners navigate complex projects that balance design, brand standards and operational realities.

From Design Concepts to Operational Reality

One of the key messages emerging from Auriga’s announcement is its emphasis on moving beyond conceptual masterplans into the realm of real world operations. The firm distinguishes itself from design first consultancies by insisting that brand promises must translate into measurable performance once an asset is live. This philosophy aligns closely with the current priorities of global airlines, which have learned through experience that visually striking lounges or hotels can still underperform if service flows, staffing models or maintenance programs are misaligned with guest expectations and traffic patterns.

Erasmus’ background in senior operational roles across international hospitality brands positions him to bridge the often wide gap between architecture and daily service delivery. For airline controlled assets, that might translate into more practical back of house planning for lounges, smarter allocation of space to different passenger tiers, or reconfiguration of food and beverage offerings to match peak departure waves. It can also involve more nuanced maintenance strategies, where refurbishment cycles are planned around network schedules and seasonal demand to minimize disruption.

In many hub airports, space is at a premium and passenger expectations are rising. Airlines are investing heavily in next generation lounges with quiet zones, wellness spaces, family rooms and dedicated fine dining for premium cabins. Converting those concepts into efficient, profitable operations demands careful coordination between design, staffing, technology and supply chains. A consultancy that has both strategic and hands on expertise can help carriers like Emirates, Qatar Airways and Air France avoid overbuilding features that are underused, or underinvesting in areas that drive satisfaction and ancillary revenue.

Furthermore, as sustainability requirements tighten and travelers scrutinize the environmental impact of their journeys, operational leadership becomes critical. Energy efficient refurbishments, smarter materials choices and waste reducing workflows must be embedded from the outset. Here again, Auriga’s lifecycle perspective, bolstered by Erasmus’ operational insights, can help airlines future proof their hospitality assets in line with emerging regulatory and customer pressures.

Repositioning and Refurbishment in the Age of Premium Travel

The global hospitality sector is undergoing a wave of repositioning as owners adapt to post pandemic travel patterns, shifts in business versus leisure demand and the rise of affluent experiential travelers. Airline linked assets, from airport hotels to joint venture resorts at key leisure destinations, are central to this repositioning. Many of these properties were conceived around pre pandemic demand profiles and now require targeted refurbishments to stay relevant. Auriga’s focus on refurbishment and repositioning projects, which it describes as core to its service mix, is therefore highly pertinent for carriers at the top of the premium travel market.

For Emirates, whose network connects Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas through Dubai, destination partnerships often rely on hotels and resorts that can deliver consistently high standards to connecting travelers and stopover guests. Repositioning such properties to emphasize wellness, remote work facilities or high end family travel, for example, demands both design creativity and operational rigor. With Erasmus guiding operational frameworks at Auriga, owners and airline partners stand to benefit from refurbishments that are not only visually compelling but also operationally efficient and financially grounded.

Qatar Airways and Air France face similar challenges in ensuring that partner properties and airport adjacent hotels match their evolving brand promises. As premium cabins become more private and personalized, guests increasingly expect a seamless continuity of experience on the ground. This means that airport hotels, airline branded suites and even co developed resorts need to embody the same level of comfort, technology integration and discreet service that travelers receive onboard. A consultancy that can orchestrate refurbishment projects across multiple markets while maintaining coherent brand standards becomes a strategic asset.

Well timed refurbishments also play a risk management role. Assets that lag in design, technology or sustainability can quickly drag on brand perception and returns. By optimizing refurbishment timing, scope and execution, Auriga aims to help owners ride market cycles more effectively. Airlines that co invest in or rely heavily on such assets benefit when refurbishments are delivered on schedule, on budget and in alignment with network and seasonality considerations.

A notable dimension of Auriga’s portfolio is its work across lifestyle venues, wellness brands, salons and emerging cloud kitchen operators. This breadth reflects a recognition that modern hospitality is no longer confined to traditional hotels and restaurants. For global airlines, whose customer journeys increasingly touch a range of ancillary services, this holistic view is invaluable. It opens the door to new types of collaboration, from wellness oriented transit experiences to branded dining accessible both inside and outside airport environments.

Wellness has become a defining theme in premium travel, with passengers seeking restorative spaces, healthier food options and recovery focused services between long haul sectors. Airlines like Emirates, Qatar Airways and Air France are gradually integrating wellness into their lounges and in flight offerings, but there is substantial room to expand this into dedicated spa partnerships, sleep pods, fitness oriented airport hotels and wellness themed stopover packages. Auriga’s experience with wellness and salon concepts means it can advise on how to structure, brand and operate such services in tandem with airline and airport stakeholders.

The rise of cloud kitchens also intersects with airline ambitions around food and beverage. Centralized, technology enabled production can supply lounges, staff dining and even select in town hospitality venues with greater efficiency and consistency. For airlines seeking to refresh their culinary identities without overextending traditional restaurant operations, the ability to plug into or co develop cloud kitchen networks is attractive. With Erasmus overseeing operational frameworks, Auriga is positioned to help owners and carriers evaluate when and how to deploy such models within their hospitality ecosystems.

Lifestyle venues, from rooftop bars to beach clubs and urban social hubs, offer another avenue for airlines to extend their brands beyond the airport and aircraft. Strategic partnerships with such venues in gateway cities and resort destinations can deepen brand visibility and loyalty among key customer segments. However, lifestyle assets are notoriously sensitive to changing trends and require tight operational management. A consultancy that understands both the creative and operational sides of lifestyle hospitality can help ensure these venues remain relevant and profitable over time.

Regional Focus with Global Implications

Although Auriga’s strongest footprint remains in Abu Dhabi and across the Gulf Cooperation Council states, the consultancy’s activities have implications that ripple across global aviation and tourism. The Gulf region has become a laboratory for ambitious hospitality concepts tied closely to airline strategies, with Emirates in Dubai and Qatar Airways in Doha at the forefront of this evolution. As these carriers and their partners refine models for integrated hospitality, lessons learned in the region are exported across their networks, influencing investments and service design in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Air France, while based in Paris rather than the Gulf, participates in this global learning loop through code share agreements, alliances and competitive benchmarking. The expectations set by Emirates and Qatar Airways in terms of lounge quality, airport hotels and destination experiences inevitably shape what Air France’s customers demand in Europe and beyond. When consultancies like Auriga help raise the bar in one region, competitors elsewhere often respond by upgrading their own offerings, triggering a virtuous cycle of innovation.

Furthermore, Auriga’s work in Africa reflects a growing recognition that emerging markets will supply a significant share of future tourism growth. As African destinations invest in new airports, hotels and mixed use developments, the opportunity for airlines to anchor these projects through route development and joint hospitality ventures is significant. Operational leadership from figures such as Erasmus can help ensure that early stage projects are built on sound operational and financial foundations, avoiding some of the missteps seen in earlier waves of development.

For global travelers, the net result of these dynamics is a more consistent and elevated experience across different parts of the world. Premium airline customers who have come to expect certain standards in Dubai or Doha may soon find similar quality benchmarks in secondary cities and emerging destinations, thanks in part to the transfer of know how facilitated by consultancies operating across multiple regions.

What This Means for Travelers and the Wider Tourism Economy

Behind the leadership changes and strategic language, the practical question remains: what does André Erasmus’ move to Auriga actually mean for travelers and the tourism economy? In the near term, passengers flying with Emirates, Qatar Airways and Air France are unlikely to see immediate visible changes. However, as refurbishment projects, new developments and repositioning initiatives shaped by Auriga and its COO begin to come online, the cumulative effect should be felt in more thoughtfully designed lounges, better located and better run airport hotels, and smoother transitions between air travel and on the ground experiences.

For frequent flyers, improvements may manifest in shorter queues at lounge entrances, more intuitive zoning between work, rest and dining areas, upgraded wellness amenities and menus that better reflect time of day, route profiles and local sourcing. For leisure travelers, particularly families and premium leisure guests, enhanced stopover products and integrated hotel packages can make long haul itineraries more attractive, thereby supporting tourism flows to and through key hubs such as Dubai, Doha and Paris.

On the economic side, better performing hospitality assets mean higher returns for owners and investors, which in turn encourages further investment in tourism infrastructure. This cycle is particularly important in regions seeking to diversify their economies through tourism and hospitality, as seen in the Gulf states and in many African markets. Airline linked developments often act as anchor projects, catalyzing wider urban and resort growth. When these assets are planned and operated with lifecycle performance in mind, the likelihood of long term success increases, benefiting local employment and supply chains.

In an industry where margins can be thin and external shocks frequent, the ability to extract more value from each hospitality asset while delivering better guest experiences is a strategic advantage. By reinforcing Auriga’s operational capabilities, Erasmus’ appointment signals that owners and their airline partners are taking this challenge seriously. For Emirates, Qatar Airways and Air France, the payoff lies in deeper customer loyalty, stronger ancillary revenues and a more resilient tourism ecosystem around their hubs.

A New Chapter in Airline Driven Hospitality

The appointment of André Erasmus as Chief Operating Officer at Auriga International Management Consultancy marks a notable moment in the evolving relationship between global airlines and the wider hospitality sector. As carriers such as Emirates, Qatar Airways and Air France continue to operate not just fleets but complex ecosystems of lounges, hotels, lifestyle venues and destination partnerships, the need for sophisticated, operations anchored advisory support has never been greater. Auriga’s asset focused model, now bolstered by an executive with deep operational credentials, is well positioned to shape this next chapter.

For the global hospitality and tourism community, this move underscores how closely interconnected aviation and lodging have become. Decisions made in consultancy boardrooms in Abu Dhabi can influence how a new lounge is laid out in Dubai, how a transit hotel is refurbished in Doha or how a partner resort is repositioned on the French Riviera. The benefits will accrue not only to airline balance sheets but also to the millions of travelers who experience these assets each year.

As the industry looks beyond short term volatility and towards long term structural shifts in how people travel, work and spend leisure time, leaders like Erasmus and firms like Auriga will play a pivotal role in turning strategic visions into operational reality. In that sense, the news of this appointment is more than a routine executive move; it is a signal that some of the world’s most influential aviation linked hospitality platforms are preparing for a new era of integrated, performance driven growth.

Ultimately, the success of this strategic move will be measured not in press releases, but in the lived experiences of guests as they move from aircraft to lounge to hotel and onward into the cities and resorts they visit. If Auriga and its new COO deliver on their ambitions, travelers flying with Emirates, Qatar Airways and Air France can expect an increasingly seamless, sophisticated and rewarding journey across the global hospitality and tourism landscape.