After 32 years as Cape Air’s Founding Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dan Wolf will step down as CEO on January 1, 2022. Cape Air President Linda Markham will be named CEO, effective January 1, 2022, and will continue to serve as President in her new role. This change in leadership reflects a years-long succession planning process put in place by the airline’s Board of Directors.
“Building this airline from one route and a handful of employees to the company Cape Air is today has been a blessing and privilege for which I am truly humbled,” said Dan Wolf. Wolf will remain as Chair of Cape Air’s Board of Directors, advising on the company’s strategic and long-term initiatives. Wolf continued, “I have worked with Linda for nearly 20 years. She has the heart, intelligence, experience, and energy to lead this company. Linda will embrace this new role, inspiring and leading Cape Air into an exciting future.”
Markham will become the only woman CEO of a major or regional airline in the United States, a welcome and celebrated addition for all women in aviation.
“With tremendous gratitude to Dan and Cape Air’s Board of Directors for their trust and support, I look forward to assuming my new role and helping Cape Air soar to new heights,” said Linda Markham. “I am humbled by the opportunity to lead such an outstanding organization.”
Markham joined Cape Air in 2002 and was named Chief Administrative Officer in 2004. She has served as Cape Air’s President since 2013, overseeing the airline’s daily operations and directing the company’s interim and long-term strategic planning. Passionate about advancing opportunities for women in the aviation industry, Markham serves as Board Chair for Women in Aviation International (WAI) and was the first woman to serve as Chair of the Board for the Regional Airline Association (RAA). She currently serves on RAA’s Executive Committee and the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.
Dan Wolffounded Cape Air in 1989 with one route between Boston and Provincetown, eight employees and a first-year total of just 8,000 passengers. Today, Cape Air, along with sister airline Nantucket Airlines, is the largest commuter airline in the United States and serves more than half a million passengers a year. In 1996, Cape Air became a partly employee-owned company and now the airline has a workforce of approximately 700 employee-owners.
“Not only have I been able to follow my passion of flying over the past four decades, but I have been able to share that passion in friendship and partnership with remarkable people,” said Wolf. “I look forward to supporting the entire Cape Air team in my new role as the company flourishes under Linda’s leadership”.
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About Cape Air: Now in its 32nd year, Cape Air is one of the largest commuter airlines in the United States, serving 38 cities in the US and the Caribbean. The employee-owned company, based in Hyannis, Massachusetts, has grown from three flights a day between Provincetown and Boston in 1989 to a fleet of 100 aircraft, with more than 400 flights a day. Cape Air was recognized as “One of the Top Ten Small Airlines in the World” by Condé Nast Traveler.
