Veteran Eddie Wilson is new boss at Ryanair
Ryanair has turned to Eddie Wilson, a veteran executive of 22 years, as its new chief executive amid a tumult of strikes and stiffening competition and a tumbling share price that has shaken the airline.
Mr Wilson first joined the airline in late 1997 a few months after Ryanair sold its shares on stockmarkets for the first time. He will now take over from Michael O’Leary as the public face of Ryanair, though he will still report to Mr O’Leary.
Mr O’Leary will head the group that controls all its airline brands. Succession plans were disrupted this year when Peter Bellew, who had returned to Ryanair as chief operating officer, later left to join EasyJet. Ryanair has said it plans to sue Mr Bellew over joining a rival at short notice.
Mr Wilson, 55, has been in charge of negotiations with trades unions for the past two years as ‘chief people officer’. It has faced industrial action from unions in the UK, Spain and Portugal in recent weeks. Irish Travel Agents Association head Pat Dawson said that he hoped for “continued success for the Irish airliner, with passengers held firmly as their first priority”.
