WTM LONDON ®


WILLIE WALSH | SIR TIM CLARK A packed Global Stage hosted two airline heavyweights: Emirates’ Sir Tim Clark and IAG’s Willie Walsh


WTM AVIATION PROGRAMME Airline industry consultant John Strickland was the expert moderator of a standing-room only session – like a ‘fascinating fireside chat’, as some observed – with Emirates President Sir Tim Clark and International Airlines Group (IAG) CEO Willie Walsh. The conversation ranged far and wide as the two airline bosses debated Brexit, airline alliances, the state – good and bad – of competitor airlines, the [high] cost of the proposed third Heathrow runway and a number of other subjects, before taking questions from the floor.


Despite Emirates and IAG following separate strategies, both Walsh and Sir Tim concluded that alliances may have had their day. With Walsh observing that: “Alliances add value today but I would question whether they will continue that in the future. There was a need and there still is a role for them to play but I would be surprised and question whether they will exist in 10 years from now.” Sir Tim agreed with Mr Walsh, saying,


“You’ve seen the migration since the alliances came through on the low cost budget phenomenon from the US into Europe and Asia and that has transformed everything. “They are a tad anachronistic and we


are moving into a B2C age now where technology runs nearly everything and how that figures in the alliance structure is questionable. Will they survive? I think they may do but take a different format.” On the Heathrow runway, Walsh questioned the costs, drawing a line in the sand over any attempt by the airports to get the airlines to fund the infrastructure.


“The days of airports just building expensive, inefficient infrastructure and passing the cost on to airlines and our customers, are over,” he firmly told the audience. “We’re not going to tolerate it anymore, we have been absolutely clear in relation to that,” he said. Adding: “We’re not going to pay for inefficient expansion of the airport.”


WTM Review 2016 25


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