IndiGo is one of a handful of airlines that are diverting and canceling flights to avoid Pakistan airspace.
Nicolas Economo | Noorfoto | getty images
Shares of InterGlobe Aviation, which runs India’s largest airline IndiGo, rose more than 8% on Wednesday, a day after it appointed industry veteran William Walsh as its new chief executive.
Walsh, 64, is currently the director general of the International Air Transport Association and will join the Indian airline in early August. Before working with IATA, Walsh was CEO of British Airways.
His appointment comes at a time when Peter Albers abruptly resigned as IndiGo’s top boss amid a probe into the company’s failure to properly plan for pilots’ rest and duty rules, which led to the cancellation of thousands of flights in December.
Indigo Order According to data from the country’s aviation regulator, its share in India’s aviation market is about 65%, while Air India is in second place with about 27%.
Walsh’s experience “managing large-scale airline operations and Navigating complex market dynamics “Making him ideally suited to strengthen IndiGo and lead it for continued growth,” IndiGo Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta said in an exchange filing on Tuesday.
Walsh has also served as CEO of IAG, parent company of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus, Level, IAG Loyalty and IAG Cargo.
