Willie Walsh’ s remuneration jumps 30% to €7.9m

Willie Walsh, chief executive of International Airlines Group (IAG), the group bidding for Aer Lingus, received a 29 per cent pay rise in 2014, as his total pay rose to €7.9m.

According to IAG’s annual report, published on Thursday, Mr Walsh’s total remuneration rose from €5.9m in 2013 to €7.9m in 2014, thanks to shares vesting under a long-term incentive plan.

Mr Walsh received a base salary of €1mn in 2014, a bonus of €2m, pension benefits of €262,000, plus long-term incentives worth €5m.

In his overview for the report, Mr Walsh referred to the airline group’s bid for Aer Lingus.

“We think its business model fits very neatly with IAG and being part of the group would, we believe, bring big benefits for both Aer Lingus and our shareholders.”