Pilots in senior management

[Trolle]

As an airline pilot that has ended up in the halls of academia I was curious about colleagues that have climbed the corporate ladder. Anyone know of other former airline pilots turned CEO or other senior management? I know pilots inhabit the training department and chief pilot positions but what about higher?

I know that the BA head was a former pilot at Aer Lingus.

Also, the CEO of TWA right before AA took it over was a captain. Actually, flew the final TWA flight.

Any others?

[Cyrano]

A very non-exhaustive list:

Willie Walsh, BA and ex-EI CEO
André Dosé, GF and ex-Swissair/Crossair CEO
Capt Gopinath, Air Deccan CEO

Plus there are quite a few smaller airlines which are headed up by current or former pilots (off the top of my head, one is Jet Time in Denmark).

[OneWorld22]

The ex-Continental CEO Gordon Bethune was a line pilot as well. The present CEO however, Larry Kellner ,is an ex CFO of a large US bank...

[cavortingcheetah]

:ooh:

David Savy, Pilot and now CEO. Air Seychelles.
David Knight. Tornados. Pilot. Chief Pilot perhaps CEO in reality. Scot Airways.
cavortingcheetah. Pilot. Now CEO. Airborne Imaginations.
:ouch:

[Trolle]

Gordon Bethune was not a line pilot for a mechanic for Continental, although he is rated on the 757/767 and flew them when taking delivery from Boeing. Wouldn't consider that being intimately familiar with line flying ops though.

[bear11]

Point of information - I think the only "Captain" in Gopinath in Air Deccan was as an artillery officer in the Indian army in the early 1970s.

[Alpine Flyer]

Austrian Airlines briefly elevated (former union rep) Capt. Mara to CEO status in the 80s to maintain political balance in an enlarged management team. (Reportedly no candidate with the right political "lean" and enough stance to counter the other CEO was found, which required the installation of two candidates of the opposite "colour" and to maintain equilibrium Capt. Mara was installed beside the "strong" candidate)

In more recent times, Capt. Walter Bock (also a former union rep who later became flight operations manager) became part of a four-man management team at Austrian Airlines from 2001 to 2004.

Neither of them is remembered for distinguished feats of management.

When Austrian Airlines took over Lauda Air and Niki Lauda left for new adventures Capt. Fitz (also a former union rep) became one of two CEOs at Lauda Air.