Aer Lingus chief Mueller to step down next year

Irish airline Aer Lingus has started the search for a new chief executive after Christoph Mueller, who has led the business for the past five years, said he will be departing in May.

The Dublin-based carrier’s chairman, Colm Barrington, said it had been transformed into a “strong, consistently profitable” airline under Mueller’s leadership.

He added: “Christoph has placed Aer Lingus in a position where we can look to the future with confidence and can continue to develop and grow the airline for the benefit of our customers, our employees and our shareholders.”

Mueller, who was executive aviation director at Tui Travel before he joined the Irish carrier, said: “The last five years has involved very hard work for the entire team at Aer Lingus and it is rewarding to see that the company is well positioned both strategically and financially.

“I am conscious that there are significant challenges that we are continuing to address and I am happy to remain with Aer Lingus through May 2015 to apply an ongoing focus to that work.”