COMMENT: Doyle follows Cruz

The appointment of the London-based boss of Aer Lingus, Sean Doyle, as BA chief is an astute move by the board of IAG, which hopefully will bring its rewards in time.

Doyle’s big problem is the shadow created by his fellow Irishman Willie Walsh, but at least he can say he comes from Cork rather than Dublin.  He also has the great advantage of having worked previously in British Airways for 20 years, and clearly knows his way around the system having held a whole series of important posts across the whole spectrum of the airline.  

With the appointment Doyle might well normally have been out and about, meeting and greeting, networking the great and the good, particularly at Westminster, and also the staff.  How he overcomes this most serious of problems has yet to be resolved.  Video conferencing is not the same!  Bring back BA News to start with!

In many ways the task ahead of him is impossible to predict. At least from a financial point of view the recent raising of €2.5bn capital has brought him time.  With his fellow British airlines he will have to face up to a government that has done absolutely nothing to help the airlines, or airports.  

All BTN can do is to wish him the all the best for his unenviable challenge. 

Also see Airlines 2050 Monday morning, British Airways fined, Cruz steps down and Sean Doyle re-joins British Airways in this week's BTN.

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OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum

William Crush, Manchester

A new broom sweeps clean, and hopefully clean of the pandemic. BA was sinking before Covick-19, but now all the airlines are in the same mess. For the future it is a level playing field. I shall be watching later on Airlines 2050.

Ingrid Jones, Kensington - London

I feel sorry for Alex Cruz, by all accounts a nice man, but dominated by Willie Walsh, whom nobody has a good word for! Even Lord King had friends.

John Jones, West Ham

The very best of luck for Mr Doyle. He takes over a fine airline wrecked by ‘slasher Walsh’. Could have chosen a better time.