‘Stop gouging us’ – Willie Walsh fires final broadside at engine manufacturers as he leaves IATA DG position

The outgoing IATA director general has criticised engine manufacturers for poor performance.
He has called on them to stop excessive charging and focus on reliable engines.
Walsh has noted changes from past standards where engines required little maintenance.
He has expressed regret over not raising the issue earlier in his tenure.
Profitability of engine makers reached levels he viewed as high at 27pc.

Glansevin born Willie Walsh, the outgoing International Air Transport Association director general has delivered strong criticism of engine makers during his final address at the association’s annual general meeting. He highlighted ongoing reliability issues that lead to aircraft groundings and repair delays. Airline executives have supported these concerns in private discussions for some time.

Willie Walsh amplified his message in follow-up comments with journalists and during a press conference. He recalled a time when new aircraft engines performed reliably for years without major intervention. Walsh noted that he had no objection to manufacturers earning profits but objected to poor product delivery alongside those profits.

In later briefings, Walsh reflected on his tenure and mentioned that he regretted not addressing the engine makers earlier due to limited visibility into their individual profitability figures hidden within parent company accounts.

Willie Walsh shared: “Maybe the thing I regret, if I was to find something to regret, is that I didn’t have a go at the engine OEMs earlier. In the main, that’s down to the fact that I couldn’t really assess their individual profitability because it was hidden in the accounts of the parent companies. My message to the engine OEMs is simple: stop gouging us and get back to making great engines that work and that last.” Willie Walsh shared “Allowing these failures to extend into the next decade is totally unacceptable to your customers I don’t think I was being harsh or rude by saying what I said, there’s something wrong here. I have no objection to them making money, none whatsoever, I admire them, but I have an objection to them delivering poor products and making money.”