BA denies Walsh successor rumours

British Airways has dismissed speculation that the new chief operating officer it is seeking to hire could replace Willie Walsh as the firm's chief executive.

The airline is currently recruiting for the newly-created role after two of its most senior executives stepped down in the wake of the bungled launch of Terminal 5.

Whoever is selected to fill the position will have some 20,000 staff under their control and analysts had speculated that the figure could be groomed to succeed beleaguered Walsh.

But according to an official statement by BA, any such rumours about the scope of the "massive role" are unsubstantiated.

"It is extremely premature to talk about anything like that," a spokesperson for the airline said yesterday. "We are looking for an experienced candidate who will have proved themselves in a demanding role."

Walsh has met with heavy criticism following the launch of T5 in March, which resulted in 23,000 bags being lost and more than 500 flights cancelled.

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