Ashby to step down from oneworld leadership

Bruce Ashby is to step down as oneworld chief executive later this year, after more than five years leading the world’s most highly prized airline alliance.

He has made himself available to stay at oneworld’s helm until June to enable a seamless handover to his successor.

After accepting his resignation, the oneworld governing board began an appointment process to fill his position.

Candidates from within the alliance and from outside will be considered.

Announcing his decision to move on, Ashby said: “It has been a privilege to lead oneworld and work with its collection of the world’s leading airlines, but after five years in this role it makes sense for me to move on at this time.”

Since taking up his oneworld role in December 2010, as its central alliance team relocated from Vancouver to New York, Bruce Ashby has headed the group through the biggest and fastest expansion undertaken by any global airline alliance.

During this time, oneworld added more than 15 carriers as full or affiliate members, expanding the alliance’s capacity by almost 60 per cent and its annual passenger carryings by 75 per cent.

oneworld chairman Ivan Chu added: “Bruce Ashby has led oneworld through a period of tremendous transformation, as the alliance added many more great member airlines, introduced more attractive services and benefits for our most loyal customers and increased the revenues generated for all our member airlines.

“On behalf of us all, I thank him for his outstanding contribution and for offering to stay on as we identify his successor.”

Before joining the alliance, Bruce Ashby had been chief of IndiGo, leading what has since become India’s biggest airline for its initial three years, at its formation and through its launch, and then chief executive of Saudi Arabian start-up SAMA Airlines.

Previously, he worked for 16 years in the US airline industry, holding senior positions with US Airways, United Airlines and Delta Airlines.