BA CEO Alex Cruz. Picture: REUTERS/STEFAN WERMUTHBritish Airways CEO Alex Cruz is being replaced, just weeks after fellow Spaniard Luis Gallego took over as head of parent company IAG.
Cruz is leaving after being passed over in January for the top job at IAG. He joined the London-based group when it bought out Vueling, the Barcelona-based discount carrier he headed, in 2012, and went on to become BA CEO four years later. The Spanish executive in 2020 clashed with unions and UK politicians over plans to slash as many as 12,000 jobs as the coronavirus pandemic wiped out demand for travel.“Cruz faced a difficult job trying to balance much-needed cost cuts, for which he got a lot of criticism,” said John Strickland, director of JLS Consulting. “But he did lead investment in fleet and upgrading the long-haul business class, the results of which would have been visible had it not been for the pandemic.
Doyle has been CEO of Aer Lingus for less than two years. Before that, he spent 20 years at BA, rising through finance and strategy roles to join the executive and management committee in 2016.