The Airbus sales chief John Leahy, a dominant figure of modern aviation, has resolved one of the most widely discussed questions in the aerospace sector by settling on a retirement date - the end of 2017, company executives said on Wednesday.
His long-rumoured departure leaves a record backlog of orders for Europe’s main aerospace group but uncertainty over short-term demand, as airlines relax after bingeing on new jets.
The 67-year-old New Yorker said this year he would retire soon to make way for his deputy Kiran Rao and hinted the handover would happen in the autumn by saying he had no plans to attend the November 12-16 Dubai Airshow.
But he kept aviation markets guessing over the timing of his plans and is now aiming for one last coup as Airbus faces an aggressive new sales drive from its US rival Boeing.
The executives said Mr Leahy had agreed to stay on until the end of December. That comes as Airbus tries to end a hiatus in sales of the A380 by seeking more orders from Emirates at the Dubai Airshow.
The Airbus chief executive Tom Enders disclosed the timing of Mr Leahy’s departure during a recent internal sales meeting but has not publicly confirmed details of the transition.
Airbus declined to comment. Mr Leahy could not be reached.
Mr Leahy, seen as a relentless "deal closer", sold small Piper aircraft before joining Airbus to help break open the US market in the 1980s. He has been in the top sales post since 1994.
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Aides say he has overseen sales during that time of more than 15,500 aircraft worth US$1.7 trillion at list prices - a record which almost certainly makes him the most successful sales manager by value of goods sold in industrial history.
But after a prolonged aerospace boom, Airbus has slipped behind Boeing in the order race this year.
After suffering a rare air show defeat at the Paris Airshow in June, Mr Leahy seems determined to end his career on a high note and has set his sights on new sales for the A380, without which the plane could struggle to survive, industry sources said.
The Emirates president Tim Clark, who has forged deals worth tens of billions of dollars with Mr Leahy, declined to say whether he would agree more deals in time for the Dubai Airshow but joked about feeling the full force of Mr Leahy’s negotiating style.
“He’s anxious that we should order a squillion A380s before he goes, so that he’ll go out with a fanfare of trumpets or whatever,” he said.
“But he’s been telling me for the last four years that he’ll retire in the next year, so I’ll believe it when I see it,” added Mr Clark.
He paid tribute to Mr Leahy’s record and declined to comment on his own retirement plans.
“He’s been very good at what he is doing. He’s certainly a character who has been a big contributor to the industry.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
At a glance
Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free
Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
FIGHT CARD
Sara El Bakkali v Anisha Kadka (Lightweight, female)
Mohammed Adil Al Debi v Moaz Abdelgawad (Bantamweight)
Amir Boureslan v Mahmoud Zanouny (Welterweight)
Abrorbek Madaminbekov v Mohammed Al Katheeri (Featherweight)
Ibrahem Bilal v Emad Arafa (Super featherweight)
Ahmed Abdolaziz v Imad Essassi (Middleweight)
Milena Martinou v Ilham Bourakkadi (Bantamweight, female)
Noureddine El Agouti v Mohamed Mardi (Welterweight)
Nabil Ouach v Ymad Atrous (Middleweight)
Nouredin Samir v Zainalabid Dadachev (Lightweight)
Marlon Ribeiro v Mehdi Oubahammou (Welterweight)
Brad Stanton v Mohamed El Boukhari (Super welterweight
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
