London's Heathrow picks Danish airport boss as next CEO
(Reuters) -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)
