John Leahy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Leahy (born August 1950) was appointed Chief Operating Officer at Airbus in July 2005. Leahy continues as Airbus' Chief Commercial Officer, a role he has held since August 1994. He is a member of the Airbus main board of management.
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[edit] Background
Leahy has an MBA from Syracuse University and a BA from Fordham University. He is a licensed multi-engine commercial pilot and is a former flight instructor with nearly 4,000 hours of flying time. From 1977 to 1984, Leahy worked in marketing at Piper Aircraft.
[edit] Airbus high-flyer
Leahy joined Airbus North America in January 1985, becoming head of sales soon after. He was appointed president of Airbus North America in 1988 with responsibility for the penetration of the strategic North American market, where most major U.S. airlines are now Airbus customers. Following Leahy's appointment to the main board of Airbus in 1994, he set a commercial goal for the company to achieve 50% of the market by the year 2000. The target was reached in 1999 and Airbus has maintained over 50% market share - including worldwide deliveries of aircraft - in almost every year since.
Leahy was instrumental in the launch of the new Airbus flagship, the A380-800 passenger aircraft and the A380-800F freighter aircraft. Upon its delayed introduction with Singapore Airlines planned for October 2007, the A380 will be the largest airliner in the world, finally surpassing the venerable Boeing 747. He is also leading the sales campaign for the all-new A350.
[edit] Boeing critic
Leahy has, in the past, been known for making controversial remarks about the main competitor to Airbus. He was said to have criticised the Boeing 7E7 program, which eventually developed into the 787, saying it was "rushed and ridiculous". He was also alleged to have described the 7E7 as a "Chinese copy" of the Airbus A330.
