Willie Walsh (businessman)

Last updated

Willie Walsh
Willie Walsh (cropped).jpg
Born
William Matthew Walsh

(1961-10-25) 25 October 1961 (age 61)
Dublin, Ireland
NationalityIrish
OccupationBusinessman
Employer International Air Transport Association
TitleDirector general of the International Air Transport Association

William Matthew Walsh (born 25 October 1961) is an Irish airline executive who is currently the Director General of the International Air Transport Association. Until 2020, he was CEO of International Airlines Group, and had previously been CEO of Aer Lingus and British Airways. [1]

Contents

Early life

Walsh was born in Dublin, Ireland. He attended his local secondary school Ardscoil Rís. At age 17 he became a pilot at Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus, joining as a cadet in 1979. [2] He acquired a Master's degree in management and business administration from Trinity College, Dublin during his pilot years, while advancing to become a Boeing 737 captain. [3]

He joined company management in various positions including chief executive of then company subsidiary, Futura from 1998 to 2000. [2] He returned to Aer Lingus in 2000 as Chief Operating Officer (COO). [2] [3]

Career

In October 2001, Walsh was elevated from COO to CEO of Aer Lingus, succeeding Michael Foley, who had resigned following a harassment complaint. [4] [5] The carrier was in financial difficulty. Walsh eliminated 2,000 staff positions and reconfigured Aer Lingus as a low-cost airline. [6] He also withdrew various services like short-haul Business Class [7] and restricted the airline's frequent-flyer programme, TAB.[ citation needed ]

The company operating profits rebounded, but the cost of the write-offs and redundancies meant that net profitability was not as quick to recover. Not all of Walsh's reforms were successful, such as the outsourcing of aircraft cleaning. The contracting had not been agreed with Aer Lingus unions, which led to large payments to the private contractor while Aer Lingus employees did the cleaning work. A three-day lock-out occurred in 2002 during the peak of the cutbacks.[ citation needed ]

The management team suggested to the principal shareholder, the Irish Government, a float of Aer Lingus on the stock market. Stock floats are often rewarding to top management and this was opposed by the unions who feared a privatised Aer Lingus would impose even tougher working conditions. The Government eventually turned down the float, and Walsh resigned from the company in January 2005. [8]

The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern subsequently described Walsh's offer of an MBO as "a time when management wanted to steal the assets for themselves through a management buy out, shafting staff interests". [9]

Dermot Mannion, formerly of Emirates, succeeded Walsh as Aer Lingus chief executive officer in August 2005. [10]

He went to British Airways, where he would replace Rod Eddington at the end of his contract. [2] Walsh was hired in May 2005, with a six-month shadowing period to get to know the business before the departure of Eddington in October 2005. [2]

Walsh became CEO of British Airways in October 2005. [11]

The major challenges for the airline industry were exacerbated by various natural events such as snow, fog and volcanic ash. He described the closure of European airspace in April 2010 over worries about the ash plume from an erupting Icelandic volcano as a "gross over-reaction to a very minor risk". [12]

Walsh oversaw the merger of British Airways and Iberia forming a new holding company International Airlines Group (IAG) in January 2011. He also created a Joint Business Agreement with Iberia and American Airlines, meaning the three airlines now market and sell each other's seats and share revenue on trans-Atlantic routes.

On 24 January 2011, Walsh became chief executive of IAG, which is the parent company of BA and Iberia. Both airlines are members of the Oneworld alliance. It was announced on 9 January 2020 that he would be stepping down as CEO in March 2020, however Walsh announced on 16 March that he intended to delay his retirement in order to help the airline trade through the outbreak of COVID-19. [13] Walsh officially retired from IAG in September 2020, and was succeeded by Luis Gallego. [14]

On 24 November 2020, Walsh was appointed as the Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), effective from April 2021. [15]

Recognitions and honours

In March 2014, Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine named Walsh as its 2014 Laureate for Commercial Aviation. [3] [16]

Related Research Articles

British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport.

Iberia, legally incorporated as Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A. Operadora, Sociedad Unipersonal, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Founded in 1927 and based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main base of Madrid–Barajas Airport. Iberia, with Iberia Regional and with Iberia Express, is a part of International Airlines Group. In addition to transporting passengers and freight, Iberia Group carries out related activities, such as aircraft maintenance, handling in airports, IT systems and in-flight catering. Iberia Group airlines fly to over 109 destinations in 39 countries, and a further 90 destinations through code-sharing agreements with other airlines.

Aer Lingus is the flag carrier of Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015 and it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of International Airlines Group (IAG). The airline's head office is on the grounds of Dublin Airport in Cloghran, County Dublin.

Oneworld is an airline alliance founded on 1 February 1999. The alliance's stated objective is to be the first choice airline alliance for the world's frequent international travellers. Its central alliance office is in New York City and includes 13 member airlines: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian and SriLankan Airlines, as well as Fiji Airways as a Oneworld Connect partner. On 20 June 2022, Oman Air announced it would formally join the alliance by 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Best Belfast City Airport</span> Airport in Belfast, Northern Ireland

George Best Belfast City Airport is a single-runway airport in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Situated in County Down, it is adjacent to the Port of Belfast and is 3 miles (4.8 km) from Belfast City Centre. It shares the site with the Spirit AeroSystems aircraft manufacturing facility. The airport began commercial operations in 1983, and was known as "Belfast City Airport" until it was renamed in 2006 in memory of George Best, the professional footballer from Belfast. The airport has a CAA public use aerodrome licence that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vueling</span> Spanish low-cost airline

Vueling S.A. is a Spanish low-cost airline based at Viladecans in Greater Barcelona with hubs at Barcelona–El Prat Airport (main), Paris-Orly Airport in Paris, France and Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy (secondary). It is the largest airline in Spain, measured by fleet size and number of destinations. As of 2021, Vueling serves 122 destinations in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and carried more than 34 million passengers in 2019. Since 2013, it has been an operating company of International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia.

Dermot Mannion is the former deputy chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines and former chief executive officer of Aer Lingus.

Luis Gallego Martín is a Spanish engineer and businessman who succeeded Willie Walsh as the chief executive officer (CEO) of International Airlines Group in 2020. He is the former CEO of Iberia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of British Airways</span> Aspect of history surrounding British Airways

British Airways (BA), the United Kingdom's national airline, was formed in 1974 with the merger of the two largest UK airlines, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British European Airways (BEA), and including also two smaller regional airlines, Cambrian Airways and Northeast Airlines. The merger was the completion of a consolidation process started in 1971 with the establishment of the British Airways Board, a body created by the British government to control the operations and finances of BOAC and BEA, which initially continued to exist as separate entities.

Aer Lingus Regional is an Aer Lingus brand which has been used for commuter and regional flights. Aer Lingus Regional scheduled passenger services operate primarily from Ireland to the United Kingdom, France, and the Channel Islands, and also from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Services were operated by Stobart Air until the company informed Aer Lingus in June 2021 that it would no longer be in a position to operate the franchise. The contract for the franchise was then awarded to Emerald Airlines and services have since resumed in early 2022.

International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A., trading as International Airlines Group and usually shortened to IAG, is an Anglo-Spanish multinational airline holding company with its registered office in Madrid, Spain, and its corporate headquarters in London, England. It was formed in January 2011 after a merger agreement between British Airways and Iberia, the flag carriers of the United Kingdom and Spain respectively, when British Airways and Iberia became wholly owned subsidiaries of IAG. British Airways shareholders were given 55% of the shares in the new company.

Stobart Air, legally incorporated as Stobart Air Unlimited Company, was an Irish regional airline headquartered in Dublin. It operated scheduled services under the brands Aer Lingus Regional, BA CityFlyer and KLM Cityhopper on behalf of their respective owners. Stobart Air had operating bases in Cork, Dublin and Belfast for Aer Lingus Regional. It ceased operations on 12 June 2021.

IAG Cargo is the cargo handling division of International Airlines Group (IAG). IAG Cargo uses the freight capacity of its sister airlines' passenger flights, such as British Airways, and maintains three hubs located at Dublin Airport, Heathrow Airport and Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport. IAG Cargo provides freight transportation with over 15,000 flights a week to more than 350 destinations in over 80 countries through its affiliated passenger network of 5 airlines.

Álex Cruz de Llano is a Spanish businessman, former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of British Airways and former CEO of Vueling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgin Atlantic Little Red</span> Former British airline subsidiary

Virgin Atlantic Little Red was a short-lived British airline subsidiary owned by Virgin Atlantic.

Fly LEVEL SL, trading as LEVEL, is an airline brand under which airlines owned by the International Airlines Group (IAG) operate low-cost flights. The brand has a registered office in Madrid, Spain.

Sean Doyle is an Irish businessman, and the chairman and CEO of British Airways.

Aer Lingus (U.K.) Limited is a British airline and wholly owned subsidiary of Aer Lingus, the flag carrier of the Republic of Ireland. It is headquartered in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with its operations based at Manchester Airport. The airline's operations launched on 20 October 2021, with its inaugural flight from Manchester to Bridgetown, Barbados.

References

  1. ↑ "Willie Walsh – Businessweek". businessweek.com. 30 May 2005. Archived from the original on 31 August 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Walsh named as new British Airways CEO". 8 March 2005.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. 1 2 3 AW&ST, 24 March 2014, p. 46
  4. ↑ "Aer Lingus resolves dispute with former chief". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  5. ↑ "Confirmation of Walsh as CEO likely". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  6. ↑ Brennan, Joe. "Willie Walsh leaves daunting challenges for successor in flight-shaming era". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  7. ↑ Mulligan, John (17 December 2014). "Aer Lingus mulls return of business class on its short-haul services". Independent.
  8. ↑ Martinson, Jane (30 June 2006). "Willie Walsh: The pistol-wielding Bambi who thrives in a crisis". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  9. ↑ "Dáil record, 17 May 2006".
  10. ↑ Slattery, Laura. "Mannion resigns as head of Aer Lingus". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  11. ↑ Lyons, William (19 March 2010). "BA's Walsh Seen as Formidable Negotiator". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  12. ↑ "The real danger to air passengers is not the ash cloud – it's". The Independent. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  13. ↑ "Willie Walsh defers IAG retirement to tackle Covid-19". The Irish Times .
  14. ↑ "Willie Walsh to stand down as boss of British Airways owner". the Guardian. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  15. ↑ "Willie Walsh accepts IATA DG role". airlines.iata.org. 24 November 2020.
  16. ↑ "Aviation Week's 2014 Laureate Nominees". AW&ST. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014.
Business positions
Preceded by
Michael Foley
 CEO of Aer Lingus
2001–2005		Succeeded by
Preceded by CEO of British Airways
2005–2010		Succeeded by
New company CEO of International Airlines Group
2011–2020		Succeeded by
Preceded by Director General of the International Air Transport Association
2021–present		Incumbent
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.