SH You are a pilot yourself — did you always want to fly?

WW I've always been interested in technical things — I used to take my father's car and televisions apart and I got my pilot's licence before my driver's licence. The aviation industry was a leading business in technology at the time and that's what attracted me to it.

SH You also have an MBA from Trinity College, Dublin. Why did you decide to move from flying to management?

WW Flying is a great career, and very challenging. But I also found that the business side was increasingly challenging and thus enjoyable to me.

SH How did you, at the age of 36, get sent to Majorca to turn around Aer Lingus' charter airline Futura?

WW I was in the right place at the right time. My style has always been to be open with people, to be direct and to say hello to everyone. The problem was that there was bitter rivalry between groups within the business and it was poisonous. They just needed someone to get the groups talking to one another, facing up to the need to resolve these issues rather than fighting witheach other all the time.

SH You were made CEO of Aer Lingus just before your 40th birthday.

WW I never set out to take on that role. I didn't apply for the job but when the chairman asked me, I didn't hesitate. Instinctively, I knew what needed to happen and I knew how to do it.

SH You then carried out one of the most radical restructurings in the business, with 30% job cuts.

WW To me, it wasn't about 2,000 people going — it was about 4,000 people staying. When I stood up and told my colleagues what would was going to happen, many of them agreed with me. It taught me a lot. If you are facing a crisis it is not going to sort itself out. The sooner you face up to the crisis the better, because you have more options when you act earlier.

SH And did you have any doubts when you were offered the CEO job at BA, a significantly larger and more complex airline?

WW No, never. That typifies how I work. I never set out to become CEO of this airline either but, given the opportunity, I'm not one to spend weeks worrying over whether I should take it or not. I instinctively know if it's the right thing.

SH The opening of Heathrow's Terminal 5 was a public relations disaster. You stood before the cameras and took ultimate responsibility for the errors — so were you too ambitious to finish the project on budget and on time?

WW  But we didn't finish on time — we took a risk training staff in an uncompleted building, asking them to imagine the building as complete and that was our big mistake. When things go wrong, people are quick to adapt. But when you put them in a completely new environment, it is a recipe for overload.

SH You sacked two executives, so why didn't you resign?

WW For me it was about correcting the problems, which we did within ten days. I did not think that those two executives were the ones who could sort out the problem. My job is to sort the problems out — not to walk away. I've never done that in my life.

SH Meanwhile, the fight for survival, as you call it, continues. You and your CFO gave up your salaries for the month of July and you have given up your bonus of half a million in shares — to what end?

WW Money is not what motivates me. It is easy for me to say that because I am well paid. But I have said publically that I need everyone at BA to contribute and I need to do that, too.

SH And what about the staff you have asked to leave their jobs?

WW The reality is that we cannot afford to run the business with all of the people who are in the business today. We don't just want to survive, we need to put ourselves to be in a position to grow stronger.

SH How many times can you ask staff to make sacrifices?

WW You can do it every day. You can always ask if things are being done the best way possible, the most efficient way. You should never be afraid of asking that question. If you are confident that you are the most efficient, that you are doing better then everyone else — well, you shouldn't be afraid of being asked that question.

SH Are you engaged in constant guerrilla warfare with trade unions?

WW I don't think that's quite fair to say. It certainly makes business more complicated because you need to factor in a process of consultation and maybe this slows us down compared to other industries. But you get used to it and you have to ensure that you are doing things in the right way.

SH And do you still look in the mirror in the morning and ask how you got here?

WW I do, seriously!

SH Do you ever fear burnout?

WW I love this job and I love working. I'm not the type of person who enjoys a holiday. I like to be active and challenge motivates me.

SH What's the biggest lesson you've learned?

WW With Terminal 5 I learned that if you have made plans and you know that there is a critical issue, don't compromise it.

CurriculumV itae

Willie Walsh

2005–Present Chief executive officer and executive director, British Airways Plc

2004–2007: Non-executive director, Fyffes plc

2001–2005: Chief executive officer and director, Aer Lingus Group plc

Other positions: Member of the board of governors, International Air Transport Association; Honorary board member, Flight Safety International; Branch president of Royal Aeronautical Society

Education: MBA, Trinity College, Dublin

Personal: Married with one daughter. Interested in football, rugby, golf and motor sports

Born: 1961, Dublin, Ireland