Willie Walsh (businessman) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Willie Walsh
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Walsh in 2016
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William Matthew Walsh
25 October 1961 Dublin, Ireland
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| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Employer | International Air Transport Association |
| Title | Director general of the International Air Transport Association |
William Matthew Walsh (born on October 25, 1961) is an Irish business leader in the airline world. He is currently the Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Before this, he was the CEO of International Airlines Group (IAG) until 2020. He also led Aer Lingus and British Airways earlier in his career.
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Early Life and Becoming a Pilot
Willie Walsh was born in Dublin, Ireland. He went to a local school called Ardscoil Rís. When he was just 17, in 1979, he started training to be a pilot. He joined Aer Lingus, which is Ireland's main airline.
While he was flying planes, he also studied a lot. He earned a Master's degree in management and business from Trinity College, Dublin. He became a captain, flying large planes like the Boeing 737.
After flying for a while, he moved into company management. From 1998 to 2000, he was the chief executive of Futura, an airline that was part of Aer Lingus. In 2000, he returned to Aer Lingus as the Chief Operating Officer (COO). This role meant he was in charge of how the airline ran every day.
Leading Aer Lingus
In October 2001, Willie Walsh became the CEO of Aer Lingus. The airline was facing serious money problems at the time. Walsh had to make some tough decisions to help the company.
He reduced the number of staff by 2,000 people. He also changed Aer Lingus into a low-cost airline. This meant focusing on offering cheaper flights. He stopped some services, like Business Class on short flights. He also limited the airline's frequent-flyer program.
These changes helped the company start making money again. However, it took time for the airline to fully recover. Some of his ideas did not work as planned. For example, he tried to hire outside companies to clean planes. But this caused problems with the airline's own workers.
The management team suggested selling shares of Aer Lingus on the stock market. This idea was not popular with the airline's unions. They worried that a private company would make working conditions even harder. The Irish Government, which owned most of Aer Lingus, decided not to sell the shares. Because of this, Walsh left the company in January 2005.
Leading British Airways and IAG
After leaving Aer Lingus, Walsh moved to British Airways. He became the CEO of British Airways in October 2005.
During his time, the airline industry faced many challenges. These included natural events like heavy snow, thick fog, and even ash from volcanoes. In 2010, a volcano in Iceland erupted, causing a lot of ash in the sky. This led to many European flights being cancelled. Walsh thought this was too much of a reaction to a small risk.
Walsh played a key role in bringing British Airways and Iberia together. They formed a new company called International Airlines Group (IAG) in January 2011. He also helped create a special agreement between British Airways, Iberia, and American Airlines. This meant these three airlines could work together on flights across the Atlantic Ocean. They shared seats and income from these routes.
On January 24, 2011, Walsh became the chief executive of IAG. Both British Airways and Iberia are part of the Oneworld airline group. In January 2020, it was announced that he would step down as CEO. However, he delayed his retirement to help the airline during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Walsh officially retired from IAG in September 2020.
Current Role at IATA
On November 24, 2020, Willie Walsh was chosen for a new important job. He became the Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in April 2021. IATA is a global group that represents airlines around the world. It helps set standards and policies for the airline industry.
Recognitions
In March 2014, a magazine called Aviation Week & Space Technology honored Walsh. They named him their 2014 Laureate for Commercial Aviation. This award recognized his important contributions to the airline business.
Images for kids
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Willie Walsh in 2016
