Aer Lingus appoints German businessman as first non-Irish chief

AER Lingus, in a surprise move, has appointed its first non-Irish chief executive officer in its 73-year history.

Christoph Mueller, a 47-year-old German native earned a reputation as a savvy businessman who was not afraid to scrap unprofitable routes in his previous role as aviation director with TUI Travel, where he managed charter airlines with 160 aircraft and 11,000 employees.

Aer Lingus will remain without a chief executive, however, for the next two months as the new chief is not due to start until October 1. This will bring its time without a chief to six months following the departure of Dermot Mannion in April. Mr Mueller has held senior positions at Daimler Benz Aerospace, Lufthansa, the Sabena Group, DHL and Deutsche Post, prior to his role at TUI Travel.

He served as the chief financial officer of DHL Worldwide from 2002 to 2004 and became a member of the executive committee of Deutsche Post in 2004.

Neil Glynn of NCB Stockbrokers said: “It seems like a good appointment, You can’t argue with his company background. They are all stellar names.”

The appointment of Mr Mueller will come as a surprise to many who had tipped inside candidates such as former Ryanair executive Sean Coyle and deputy chief executive Niall Walsh for the role.

Aer Lingus chairman, Colm Barrington, said: “We conducted a thorough and rigorous recruitment process and have chosen a candidate with a proven track record within the aviation industry.

“Christoph has the experience and the skill-set to lead the Aer Lingus team through what is an unprecedented operating environment and to make the changes that are required at Aer Lingus.” Aer Lingus hired London-based recruitment firm, Zygos Partnership, to find the new chief.

Mr Mueller said he is looking forward to taking on the role of chief executive.

“The company has an internationally renowned brand and while there are many challenges ahead, I am excited about the medium term prospects for the business.”

Aer Lingus rose 2 cents, or 3.8%, to 55 cents in Dublin trading.

The stock has lost 63% of its value this year, giving the company a market value of €296.8 million.