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Heathrow has appointed the head of Copenhagen Airport as its new CEO, handing over to Thomas Woldby the task of repairing relations with airlines and restarting his controversial expansion plan.
Heathrow Airport said on Friday that Woldby will replace current chief executive John Holland-Kaye later in the year.
Holland Kay announced his departure in February, ending a nearly 10-year stint during which he led the airport through the damage caused by the pandemic.
But often strained relations with airlines collapsed when Heathrow sought to raise landing fees in the wake of the crisis, leading to accusations of monopolistic behavior and price gouging from the airlines.
The airport says investing is at risk without higher fees, and has accused airlines of hypocrisy in light of the recent hike in airfares.
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority ruled in March that Heathrow must reduce its fees, but the years-old row has continued with competition authorities currently considering dual appeals from the airport and airlines.
One industry executive said the decision to appoint an outside nominee to replace Holland-Kaye indicated the board was looking for a new, more conciliatory approach to relationships with airlines.
Heathrow Chairman Lord Paul Dayton noted Waldby’s “track record” at Copenhagen Airport in “working closely with stakeholders to ensure consensus and positive results”.
But moving to Heathrow is an important step for Waldenby. Heathrow handled an average of 1,280 flights per day in May, according to Eurocontrol air traffic data, nearly double Copenhagen’s 666.
Woldbye is also expected to focus on the airport’s operational resilience, after issues across the industry last year, and employee relations after a series of strikes this year.
Heathrow could expand further if the airport pushes forward with its long-running and controversial project to build a third runway at its busy site in west London.
Holland-Kaye told the Financial Times this year that the airport was looking at “resuming the planning process”, after putting the project on hold in 2020 amid a drop in passenger numbers during the Covid-19 crisis.
The decision to submit a planning application would reignite the decades-old question of how to reconcile the need for more airport capacity in south-east England with local concerns about noise and pollution, and the UK’s commitments on climate change.
Woldbye has been CEO of Copenhagen Airport since 2011, after a 27-year stint at freight company AP Møller-Maersk.
He said he hopes to build on changes to the airport under the Holland-Kaye project, which has “successfully improved infrastructure and service for passengers.”
“My ambition is to make the airport better for travellers, airlines, society and every part of the UK,” he added.