Skift Take

If Woldbye can translate even a sliver of his success from Copenhagen to Heathrow, London flyers will breathe a big sigh of relief.

London’s Heathrow Airport has appointed Copenhagen Airport boss Thomas Woldbye as its next chief executive, who will take charge of western Europe’s busiest airport later in the year.

Heathrow regained its top spot as the busiest airport in western Europe last year, after sliding down the rankings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the British airport has faced worker strikes over pay in the past few months. Last week, however, more than 2,000 security workers at the airport called off 31 days of strikes planned for this summer after they accepted an improved pay offer.

Woldbye, who will replace current boss John Holland-Kaye, will step down as CEO of Copenhagen Airports by Sept. 30 after 12 years in the job, the Danish airport said in a statement on Friday.

“In his time as CEO, he has led the airport ambitiously through its growth period with passenger levels rising to record levels from 20 to 30 million in 8 years,” Chairman of Copenhagen Airports A/S Lars Nørby Johansen said. “With a steady hand he has guided us through the troubling Covid pandemic.”

Heathrow is owned by Spanish group Ferrovial and Qatar Investment Authority, plus other investors.

Holland-Kaye will step down later this year after nearly ten years as CEO.

(Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Jane Merriman)

This article was from Reuters and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive Content Marketplace. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].

smartphone

The Daily Newsletter

Our daily coverage of the global travel industry. Written by editors and analysts from across Skift’s brands.

Have a confidential tip for Skift? Get in touch

Tags: airports, london

Photo credit: Incoming Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye speaks at the opening of a new extended security control at Copenhagen Airport. Reuters

Up Next

Loading next stories