Ex BA boss accuses Heathrow of “no commercial nous” over increased costs
Former British Airways (BA) boss Willie Walsh, who is now the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) director general, has accused Heathrow of having “zero commercial nous” in regards to the airport’s plans to increase charges by over 90 per cent in 2022.
“What gets me about Heathrow is that they make all these fancy statements and he is on the television all the time saying all the things they’re doing for the British economy. It’s total b*******,” the Sunday Telegraph reported Walsh as saying during the IATA annual general meeting last week.
During the conference, Walsh added that as infrastructure shareholders continue to benefit from the general opening of air travel post-Covid, they must do their part in the sector’s general recovery.
“It is unacceptable behaviour to benefit from your customers during good times and stick it to them in bad times,” he said. “We should not compromise the recovery with the irresponsibility and greed of some of our partners who have not addressed costs or tapped their shareholders for support.”
As reported by the paper, Heathrow as well as Airports Council International (ACI) – the trade body representing the world’s airports – did not hold back when replying to Walsh’s statements. ACI’s director general Luis Felipe de Oliveira reportedly called Walsh’s comments “disappointing”, while a spokesperson for the UK hub told the Sunday Telegraph that “the vast majority of airports right across the UK and the world are having to increase their prices – it’s not a uniquely Heathrow phenomenon.”