International Airlines Group chief executive Willie Walsh received almost £5 million in pay and bonuses last year.
After passing up his performance-related bonus in 2012, Walsh received a bonus of £1.3 million on top of a salary of £825,000.
The rest was made up of long-term shares and pension and benefit contributions.
Keith Williams, chief executive of British Airways, was paid £3m. Iberia’s boss, Luis Gallego Martín, took a 15% voluntary cut.
The figures are detailed in the airline group’s annual report.
Last week IAG returned to the black as it reported full-year profits of €227m (£186m).
In the report, Walsh said: "I look back on last year with a sense of real pride and achievement for what people within IAG have done to put the business on a more secure footing."
The Guardian reports Baroness Kingsmill, chair of the IAG remuneration committee, commending Walsh on continuing "to lead by example in proposing restraint in executive packages".
