Willie Walsh joined IATA in 2021
Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo has named Willie Walsh its new chief executive officer.
Currently the director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Walsh is reportedly expected to join the airline in early August, after his tenure at the association ends on 31 July.
The appointment follows the resignation earlier this month of former IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, after the airline suffered an operational breakdown in December resulting more than 3,000 flight cancellations.
IATA confirmed that Walsh will complete his tenure as director general on 31 July 2026, and “remains in post at IATA until then,” the association told BTN Europe via email.
The IATA board of directors “has been preparing for a leadership transition” and the search for Walsh’s successor “is well advanced”, the association added.
Walsh joined IATA in April 2021, becoming the eighth person to lead the association after a lengthy career as an airline executive, including as a previous CEO of Aer Lingus and British Airways. He oversaw the 2011 merger of BA and Iberia under a newly established parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), where he then served as IAG’s first chief executive until September 2020.