July 8 (Reuters) - Air Canada ( ACDVF ) said on Wednesday that

the top boss of Scandinavian airline SAS, Anko Van der Werff,

will succeed Michael Rousseau as its CEO, ending months of

speculation over leadership at Canada's largest carrier.

The appointment concludes the search for Rousseau's

successor after he announced in March that he would retire,

bringing to an end a 19-year tenure with the airline.

Rousseau had faced criticism earlier this year after failing

to offer condolences in French, one of Canada's two official

languages, following a crash that killed two pilots.

Van der Werff is set to join Air Canada ( ACDVF ) by the end of

January 2027.

SAS, which is part-owned by Air France-KLM, will

begin the process of appointing a successor, the airline said.