Bryan Dove is stepping down as Skyscanner chief executive for family reasons.

He has spent five years with the company, having taken over the top job in 2018.

Moshe Rafiah, vice chair of Skyscanner, is to take over day to day chief executive responsibilities.

Dove will remain as a senior adviser to the company.

Rafiah said: “Bryan has made a remarkable impact on Skyscanner.

“While the travel industry faces a challenging time, Skyscanner is a leader in the sector in every way.”

Industry veteran Rafiah is the founder and chief executive at Travelfusion, which, like Skyscanner, is part of the Trip.com Group.

He will split his time between the two companies, though both organisations will remain operationally independent from the other.

Dove said: “It has been an honour to lead Skyscanner as chief executive and chief technology officer before that.

“Being part of Skyscanner has been one of my greatest professional privileges.

“While it’s hard to step away at this time, and despite the current challenges the world is facing, I’m confident that Skyscanner’s future is brighter than ever.”

Founded in 2003, Skyscanner is a leading travel company dedicated to putting travellers first by making booking trips as simple as possible.