Ex-BA chairman Lord King dies
Former British Airways chairman Lord King, who rescued the airline from financial disaster in the 1980s, has died aged 87.
Lord King was appointed in 1981 to turn around the fortunes of the then ailing flag carrier and axed 22,000 jobs and half the board, replaced the fleet and dropped unprofitable routes.
He brought in Sir Colin Marshall in 1983 as chief executive and privatised the airline in 1987 – with its share offering 11 times oversubscribed.
Another former chairman, Martin Broughton, was quoted in the Guardian as saying Lord King “transformed the airline from a position of state-owned weakness to one of financial strength.”
But it wasn’t all plain sailing. He was embroiled in the dirty tricks campaign waged against Virgin Atlantic which resulted in Richard Branson successfully suing BA in 1992.
A counter-sue bid by Lord King proved an expensive mistake with the court finding in Branson’s favour and ordering Lord King to make a public apology and compensate Branson to the tune of £500,000. BA’s legal fees were £3 million.
Lord King died yesterday at his 2,000-acre Leicestershire estate.
Report by Steve Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers