Heathrow: Airline chiefs call for John Holland-Kaye’s resignation
Airline chiefs have called for John Holland-Kaye’s resignation as Heathrow’s chief executive after the west London hub said last week it could introduce measures to manage capacity during the peak Christmas period.
“That’s inexcusable. Anybody who says anything like that is the wrong guy for the job,” Emirates’ boss Sir Tim Clark told the Sunday Times.
The announcement came days after Heathrow announced it would remove its daily 100,000 passenger cap from 29 October.
Clark has been one of the staunchest opponents to the daily cap – which was introduced to help the hub cope with mounting demand over the summer – as it forced airlines to axe thousands of flights.
The chief executive initially threatened legal action against the airport before surrendering to the cap. But this didn’t stop him from attacking the airport executive.
“Your job is to be up there and out there looking after consumers, not bellyaching about not being able to get staff. We did what we had to do — workarounds,” he said.
“Sitting on your hands and saying ‘ho hum’, it’s delinquent.”
The Emirates boss is not the only one to call out Heathrow for mishandling the return of air travel.
Virgin Atlantic’s boss Shai Weiss lamented the airport’s lack of preparedness while aviation executive Willie Walsh called Heathrow’s performance “a disgrace” and its predictions “way, way wrong.”
According to Clark, Heathrow is in a difficult position because it’s focusing on shareholders’ dividends instead of improving conditions.
Heathrow has rebutted the accusations, with chief executive John Holland-Kaye deeming Clark’s comments as “nonsense.”
He also dismissed calls to resign, telling the outlet: “Consumers don’t want people pointing fingers at one another.
“All of us have to work together to deliver great service.”
Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith, chair of airport trade body AOA, echoed Holland-Kaye’s words, calling on all stakeholders to work together.
A Heathrow’s spokesperson told City PM it was disappointing that Walsh “has sunk to making unjustified personal attack in an effort to influence the CAA board to set a low airport charge.”
The airport’s charge has in fact been a major point of contention between airlines and Heathrow since last year.
The aviation regulator initially agreed to an interim charge of £30.19 per passenger, bringing it down to less than £27 from 2026 onwards, to the disappointment of both parties.
Talks are ongoing, with a final decision due in November.