Aer Lingus CEO tapped for MAS?

by CHIEF CORRESPONDENT, TOM BALLANTYNE  

November 1st 2014

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To Kuala Lumpur from Germany by way of the Emerald Isle. Is Aer Lingus chief executive, Christoph Mueller, the man who will resurrect Malaysia Airlines? That is certainly the word from several reliable sources in the Malaysian capital as the airline moves closer to becoming fully owned by state sovereign fund, Khazanah Nasional. Read More »

Khazanah said the reports were speculative and premature and issued a statement that said “at this point in time, no person has been appointed as the new CEO of MAS and the search is still ongoing”.

However, insiders insisted Mueller “is the man they want for the job”. He has a proven track record in aviation and travel and has been credited with turning around Aer Lingus, which was in deep financial trouble when he took charge in 2009.

The company recently reported its fourth successive year of profitability.

The timing could hardly be better. Mueller announced in July he will be leaving the Irish operator in May next year. This would fit perfectly with MAS’ plans. The contract of the current chief executive, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya expires next September, which would allow a decent handover period for the new CEO.

Local sources said approval has been given for a non-Malaysian to get the job and that Mueller was among three candidates with aviation industry experience on the short list. German-born, he had a senior role at Daimler Benz Aerospace, was an executive vice president at Lufthansa and was chief executive of Belgium’s Sabena airline group. He also served as chief financial officer of DHL Worldwide from 2002 to 2004 and became a member of the Executive Committee of Deutsche Post in 2004 when Deutsche Post acquired DHL. He joined Aer Lingus after several years as executive aviation director at TUI Travel.

If he is confirmed, Mueller has a challenge ahead of him. MAS is still reeling from the shock of two aviation disasters – MH370 and MH17 – as the search continues for MH370 in Indian Ocean. The new CEO will spearhead a 12-point recovery plan being put in place by Khazanah.