United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Willie Walsh to stand down
Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways’ parent International Airlines Group (IAG), is to stand down in March.
He will leave the role and the Board on March 26 and will retire on June 30.
He will be succeeded by Luis Gallego, currently Iberia chief executive.
A statement from IAG said Gallego’s successor at Iberia will be announced in due course.
IAG chairman Antonio Vazquez said: "Willie has led the merger and successful integration of British Airways and Iberia to form IAG. Under Willie’s leadership IAG has become one of the leading global airline groups.
"Willie has been the main driver of this unique idea that is IAG. I hugely admire his commitment, strong leadership and clear vision, always ready to take on whatever challenges lay ahead of him. I am deeply respectful of what he has achieved as CEO of this Group, of his sense of fairness, his transparency and his capacity to integrate people regardless of nationalities or backgrounds.
"Willie has established a strong management team and I am delighted that Luis will be promoted from this team to succeed Willie as CEO."
Luis joined the airline industry in 1997 with Air Nostrum and he has been CEO of Iberia since 2014.
"The Board is confident that Luis is the right person to lead IAG in the next stage of its development and we look forward to working closely with Luis in his new role," added Vazquez.
Walsh said it has ‘been a privilege to have been instrumental in the creation and development of IAG’.
"I have had the pleasure of working with many exceptional people over the past 15 years at British Airways and at IAG," he said.
"Luis has been a core member of the team and has shown true leadership over the years and I have no doubt he will be a great CEO of IAG".
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Mark Jaronski of Explore Georgia on FIFA World Cup 2026
Connecting Small Businesses to Global Tourism Markets: Nate Huff of Tourism Exchange
North Carolina’s Resilience: Wit Tuttell on Recovery and Tourism
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
BA suspending all Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flights
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Woman dies after going overboard in English Channel
Foreign Office issues travel advisory for winter sun destinations