Willie Walsh – the former CEO of British Airways and its parent IAG – will become CEO of Indian airline IndiGo on August 3, after leaving his position as head of world airline trade group IATA on July 31.
- Walsh was known as a cost-cutting and destroying of customer experience until he left under odd circumstances.
- He became the industry mouthpiece after that
- India’s largest airline low cost IndioGo fired its CEO Peter Elbers following an operatonal meltdown
Walsh is a very experienced, hard-nosed operator. IndiGo is already a low cost carrier, so this may not be bad for consumers the way it would have been had he landed at a full service airline.
He was 58 when he retired from IAG, somewhat abruptly and two years earlier than he’d previously said he expected to leave. This happened right before Covid.
Walsh led the acquisition of airlines beyond BA to form what’s now IAG. He rose from an Aer Lingus pilot to its CEO in 2001, becoming the CEO of British Airways in 2005 and bumping up to oversee strategy for the group in 2011. He led cost-cutting measures, passenger benefit-cutting and largely broke the British Airways flight attendants union.
The cover of this 2016 investor presentation may sum up his philosophy best.
Finally he gets to run what he tried to turn British Airways into, as BA still suffers from his leadership.
Free Willie? *jumps over to India*
Just where he belongs a cheap skate in a low cost airline . He ruined BA as now it’s a poor shadow of its former self . Who puts 7 seats in a 787 in business class . No better than premium economy.