IATA boss Willie Walsh is critical of the focus of many EU countries on the railways, because in his opinion "millions of kilometers of railway lines have to be relaid". He assumes that this would lead to protests.

In an interview with the Luzerner Zeitung, the former IAG general director points out that the railway would cause "enormous land wear" and is only clean "if it is operated with green electricity". However, the reality is that the vast majority of rail traffic worldwide is powered by diesel engines, and even in European countries these often do not have particulate filters. Electricity generated from coal power is often used in electric locomotives, so that there is only a local shift in carbon dioxide emissions. In this respect, Willie Walsh's statement that the railway is only green if the necessary energy comes from "green sources" (e.g. water or wind power) is correct.

The IATA President believes that a ban on short-haul flights within Europe would result in "hundreds of thousands if not millions of kilometers of new rail routes" having to be laid. He expects that such construction projects would lead to protests among the population.

"Wizz Air is more aggressive in dealing with unions than Ryanair"

Confronted with the fact that some airlines would sell flights to Palma de Mallorca for less than 20 euros, the manager told the Luzerner Zeitung that this would generate demand. Furthermore: “But many airlines that offer such tickets are very profitable. There is hardly ever just one price for a flight anyway. All in all, the deregulation of aviation in Europe was extremely positive from the consumers' point of view. Take Michael O'Leary, my fellow Irishman and Ryanair boss. He gave access to travel to people who didn't have before.”

Ryanair then came out in defense of Walsh, claiming that Michael O'Leary "changed his mind about unions." This might also have happened “due to external pressure”. "Wizz Air, for example, is much more aggressive in dealing with unions than Ryanair," the IATA boss told the Luzerner Zeitung. In general, however, he expects ticket prices to rise, because SAF fuel would be more expensive than conventional kerosene.

As BA boss, Walsh would have introduced compulsory vaccination

Unsurprisingly, Willie Walsh once again criticized the travel rules of the 27 EU countries in an interview with the Luzerner Zeitung. Governments have completely blown their chance to demonstrate the benefits of membership of the European Union. "This is my biggest disappointment. After Brexit, I hoped that the EU would use this opportunity to show what value it can have with uniform travel rules. But she didn't make it. There were 27 different rules," said the manager.

Willie Walsh also calls for the abolition of corona tests, which must be presented upon entry. There should be a clear focus on vaccinations. "And Omicron seems to be significantly less harmful than Delta," the IATA President told the Luzerner Zeitung.

When asked whether flights that only vaccinated people could use would be the solution to the problem, the manager waved him off: “There are still countries that don’t have enough vaccines. But you could introduce different rules. That the unvaccinated must continue to be tested before flying."

As an IATA board member, he did not want to make a clear recommendation for the introduction of compulsory vaccination for flying personnel. That would have to be decided by the airlines themselves, but if he were still at the helm of IAG or British Airways, there's a high probability he would have introduced them, Walsh told the Luzerner Zeitung.