Eddington to step down “in the late summer"

British Airways chief executive Rod Eddington will reportedly leave his post “towards the end of the summer” after five years in the job. According to The Independent newspaper, Eddington wants to be back in his native Australia by early in 2006 and may be planning to travel extensively in Europe before he departs the northern hemisphere. The newspaper reports that Eddington wants to concentrate on several non-executive posts. The Independent says internal candidates likely to replace Eddington are John Rishton, currently finance director, and Martin George, commercial director. The carrier has reportedly not yet drawn up a short list, but the newspaper speculates that other candidates include Willie Walsh, former CEO of Aer Lingus, Tony Tyler, formerly of Cathay Pacific, and James Hogan, who currently runs Gulf Air. The Daily Telegraph last week speculated that Barbara Cassani, who led the management buyout of the no-frills carrrier Go, could also be in the running. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd