PeakDash

'I was very lucky. Somebody I knew for years named Naresh Goyal wanted to start a domestic carrier in India in 1993 and asked me to help.' The airline, launched with just four aircraft, has quickly built itself a reputation and now boasts a fleet of 25.

Two years later he was head-hunted by Northwest Airlines, which wanted him to head its Atlantic section. By the end of 1997, he was transferred to Hong Kong to oversee Northwest's Asian operation. Mr Wookey has been busy flying over Asia's terrain ever since.

Mr Wookey had a brush with death in 1985 during a hijacking by Beirut terrorists - an experience which he says was also the most exciting in his career. At the time, he was the director of operations and customer services for TWA - a now defunct American airline. The plane had been hijacked after leaving Athens and shuttled between Algiers and Beirut for two weeks while intense negotiations were taking place.

Mr Wookey, engrossed in the whole event, climbed to the roof of the terminal tower in Algiers to see what was going on through a set of binoculars.

An airport guard shouted 'you are not allowed on the roof' and he heard a couple of shots whistle by.

A happy ending to the sleepless nights and high tension eventually came - all but one of the hostages were safely released and greeted by President Reagan upon arrival in Washington.

That incident did not change his view on aviation safety. 'There are very few risks out there in the aviation industry, there is just one element, and that is it.' Mr Wookey said, matter-of-factly.

Born within four miles of London's Heathrow Airport, little David was fascinated by the frequent arrivals and departures. 'I felt that flying was one of the most brilliant things.'

This early association with aviation led him to a technical school in Britain studying aircraft engineering. After that, he joined British Overseas Airline Corporation (BOAC) - one of the predecessor companies of the current British Airways (BA) - in 1958, at the tender age of 18.

Lack of a college degree or advanced education did not seem to stand in the way of Mr Wookey's rising career. He learned the ropes by working in various disciplines within the industry, including purchasing, cargo, marketing, finance, and passengers sales. In an industry he loved, he flourished and climbed the corporate ladder steadily, with the same hands-on and can-do attitude he displayed during the TWA hijacking.

Mr Wookey identifies two qualities that helped him on in his long journey from clerk to chief executive officer of the world's fourth-largest airline company. Common sense and the ability to communicate effectively - both of which are more or less natural abilities and do not necessarily improve much with university training.

That is why he is of the view that leadership is born, not learned, even though it can be improved by practise.

'It is an instinct, isn't it?' he said. He described his leadership style as 'hands-on, leading from the front', and that includes extensive travelling around the region two to three times a month for meetings, to monitor service quality and to learn from competitors.

He emphasises that 'empowering people' is still the most important factor in business despite the advent and importance of the electronic age.

As a veteran in the industry he is well positioned to explain the history and prospects of aviation. He watched aircraft develop from primitive propeller planes to the supersonic Concorde.

Thirty years ago, trans-atlantic aircraft had more beds. Then came the obsession with speed - which saw the flight significantly shortened from 25 hours to the current seven hours. 'Now beds are in fashion again,' he declared, pointing to the fact that passengers were demanding more comfort and airlines were responding.

Recently Northwest Airlines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines jointly launched an improved international service that offers business class customers more leg room and increased seat recline - almost like beds. 'It has come full circle again,' said Mr Wookey.

At the age of 60, Mr Wookey is considering retirement - within the next five years. After that, do not expect him to retreat into a less demanding lifestyle. He will learn flying - a skill he has always wanted to master but has been unable due to his tight schedule. He will travel to, as yet unvisited, South America. He may also go back to school, to 'learn about the electronic age'.

And he will have plenty of time to play golf, one of its favourite pastimes. He now plays about twice a month - far short of what he would like.

On property, he told Sunday Money that he found Hong Kong 'too expensive'. His house near Windsor, outside London, has rendered more handsome paper returns.

Half a century on, the little kid who was fascinated by aircraft is still in Mr Wookey. 'I am still amazed every time I watch a Boeing 747 taking off,' he said.

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