Six Flags Abruptly Replaces CEO Even as Park Traffic Recovers

Six Flags Entertainment Corp. named Selim Bassoul as chief executive officer, immediately replacing Michael Spanos, whose two-year tenure included a brutal stretch of pandemic-induced shutdowns and restrictions for theme parks.

Former Spirit Airlines CEO Ben Baldanza was named the new non-executive chairman, the company said Monday in a statement. Baldanza thanked Spanos for his service, but Six Flags didn’t say why he was leaving so abruptly. Stephen Purtell, the senior vice president for investor relations, didn’t respond to phone and email messages Monday.

Even before the pandemic, the Grand Prairie, Texas-based company had slashed its dividend and warned ...