Willie Walsh, head of British Airways, hasn’t taken a holiday in three years. Glittering behind his glass office is one of the reasons why: Heathrow’s new Terminal 5, a crowning glory of his career. Or so he thought, when we spoke to him the day before it opened.

The only point at which Mr Walsh got a little testy in the interview was when we suggested that British Airways might have something of an image problem – long delays, lost luggage and so on – there was just a moment’s flicker behind the transfixing eyes of the diminutive Irishman, deadly serious despite his cute round face. Ah, he said, but that is why BA’s high-tech new home at Terminal 5 is so important: to make a fresh start, “sort those issues out”.

“I think the airport experience has been trying, to say the least, to be honest with you, over the past few years,” he conceded.

“And particularly so at Heathrow . . . That’s why we’re so excited about T5 . . . the terminal will be fantastic,” he said. And later: “I think we do a good job in very difficult circumstances. And I think it’s particularly pleasing that we’ll get an opportunity to do a better job at Heathrow when we move into Terminal 5.”

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What a difference a day makes: in a matter of hours Mr Walsh’s triumph had turned to spectacular public relations disaster: flights cancelled, luggage delayed, passengers furious, a nation embarrassed, and BA leading the news again, for all the wrong reasons.

Perhaps it is due to the bullish certainty of the man that he didn’t countenance failure before the event, risking this overconfident interview (although at least he was doing interviews – the airport operator BAA, with whom much of the problem lies, had been refusing interviews for weeks).

There was, to those who have had bad experiences with the airline, something very British Airways about the fiasco: inefficient, ill planned, careless. That isn’t a picture of his company that Mr Walsh recognises.

“I don’t know why we and you should not be proud of BA. I think BA has done a lot for the UK economy over the years. BA represents the UK in many countries. I think people really appreciate a BA flight when they get on it. A lot of people say to me they feel like they’re at home when they get on board a BA flight. So I think I’ve probably got a more positive view of life than you have.”

Indeed. His only concession to any image problems is to insist that BA’s reputation in Britain is “good”, while internationally it is “great”, a disparity he blames on the fact that the British can confuse problems at Heathrow with that airport’s biggest client.

When was the last time he travelled as a punter, exposing himself to the kind of service that led one angry passenger on the day that T5 opened to remark: “People like us that are treated like cattle, as usual, by British Airways”?

“As a punter on BA? I can’t. Because people in BA recognise me.”

OK, well, as a BA cattle-class passenger?

“Yes. I flew to Tokyo in economy. I’ve flown to Montreal in economy.”

Why? “To see what it’s like.” What did you think? “I thought it was great.” Oh, come on! “I did. I’ve flown with airlines all over the world. I think BA’s good.”

So he has never experienced the misery of the family summer holiday from hell at Heathrow or Gatwick, courtesy of BA? The longest he has ever had to queue to check in was 50 minutes, and that, he emphasised, was when flying with Air Berlin.

“Misery? No. No, I haven’t. I’m thinking back over 30 years of flying have I experienced any misery? No, but maybe my definition of . . .”

Maybe his definition of misery isn’t quite like ours, because Mr Walsh is not like us. He could fly a plane at 17, before he could drive a car, and the job has consumed him ever since – rising to be chief executive of Aer Lingus aged 40, now in charge of BA at a boyish 46. He doesn’t take holidays: “Misery to me would be lying on a sunbed somewhere. That’s misery.”

Positive as ever, the day before it opened, the workaholic chief executive had already moved beyond Terminal 5, intent on making the case for a third runway and a sixth terminal to service it. British Airways is, he argued, a victim of Britain’s feeble planning, getting the blame for delays when that is actually due to Heathrow’s overcrowded runways, a problem he said even Terminal 5 would do nothing to solve.

“If people are ashamed [of BA] they should try to understand what the problem is. And the problem is we lack infrastructure and that’s why I believe the Government will address this,” he said.

When will Gordon Brown decide on a third runway? After the next election? Mr Walsh leant even more urgently forward in his seat: “I don’t think they can fudge it any more.” When do you expect a decision? “This year,” he said firmly.

And as for the extra pollution caused by airport expansion, Mr Walsh does not baulk at making the hard case that this is necessary for Britain’s growth. For too long, he said, the media had concentrated on environmental impact while ignoring economic potential.

“So the perception of our industry is that we are the biggest polluter out there. And that is not true. Yes, we are a polluter. I put my hand up, I don’t mind saying, yes, we are.”

But the pollution was small compared with our perception of it, and it might be worth it, he said.

If China was going to be the centre of economic growth and if, as is currently the case, you could fly to two cities in China from the UK but to 12 from Germany or 14 from France, where would industries locate?

If Heathrow gets a third runway, how much will BA emissions increase by, say, 2020? About 25 per cent, he said.

Mr Walsh could have pretended otherwise, but he hates the idea of soft-soaping. It is what rankles him so much about his rival, Richard Branson, who has claimed that biofuel can make flying green again. By contrast Mr Walsh is an enthusiast for emissions trading, and improved technology. He is putting pressure on the Government to straighten out the tangled flight paths over Europe, which could reduce emissions by 12 per cent.

Why not set a target for BA to reduce its emissions? “No,” he said bluntly, because aviation will continue to grow and there is not yet a way to counteract its pollution.

He also wants the British public to stop feeling guilty (if we really do) about flying: “If you get a bus, if you drive a car, if you use a hairdryer, if you use your oven, you are producing CO2 . Road transport accounts for 24 per cent of CO2 in the UK, air transport 6 per cent. But do people get into their car and feel guilty about driving?”

Two days later Mr Walsh has been up most of the night managing the Heathrow crisis, he looks tired and shaken as he gives news interviews. Dozens more flights have been cancelled, a helpline set up by BA has jammed: “It definitely wasn’t our finest hour,” he said.

Some former BA passengers could have warned Mr Walsh that there was a high chance of Terminal 5 chaos, yet the BA chief executive didn’t foresee it. Impressive and direct in person, our hunch is that he may be so determined, so driven, he simply does not recognise that incompetence could exist in those below him. As he said before: “I think I’ve probably got a more positive view of life than you.”

He could be forgiven for feeling a little defeated this morning, but that wouldn’t be Willie Walsh at all. He is far more likely to be dreaming up bigger and better plans.

Terminal 7, anyone?

Willie Walsh

Born October 25, 1961, in Dublin
Education Ardscoil Ris secondary school, Dublin; MBA from Trinity College, Dublin
Career Aer Lingus cadet pilot at 17, co-pilot at 19. Switched to management when 27. Became Aer Lingus chief executive in 2001. In three years he halved the workforce. In 2005, he became chief executive of British Airways
Salary £614,000, plus bonus
Family married, one daughter. Lives in Twickenham, under the Heathrow flight path

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