BBVA vs United Airlines: Founders, CEOs and History
BBVA was founded in 1857 by Bilbao Board of Trade and is led by Onur Genç. United Airlines was founded in 1926 by Walter T. Varney, William Boeing and is led by Scott Kirby.
Company facts
BBVA
- Founded
- 1857
- Headquarters
- Madrid, Spain
- Current CEO
- Onur Genç
- Employees
- 127,174
United Airlines
- Founded
- 1926
- Headquarters
- Chicago, Illinois
- Current CEO
- Scott Kirby
- Employees
- 113,200
Founders
BBVA
Bilbao Board of Trade
No individual is recorded as the founder of BBVA's oldest institution. Banco de Bilbao was created in 1857 after the Bilbao Board of Trade, the body representing the port city's merchants, promoted a bank that could issue banknotes and discount commercial bill…
United Airlines
Walter T. Varney
Walter T. Varney founded Varney Air Lines, which won Contract Air Mail Route 5 and flew its first route between Pasco, Washington, and Elko, Nevada, via Boise, on April 6, 1926.
William Boeing
William Boeing formed Boeing Air Transport in 1927 to fly the Chicago-San Francisco air mail route and then, with Frederick Rentschler, created United Aircraft and Transport Corporation in 1929.
CEOs and their tenures
BBVA
- Pedro Luis Uriarte1999–2001
Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive and vice chairman of BBV from September 1994 and of the merged BBVA until he retired at the end of 2001.
Source - Francisco Gonzalez2000–2018
Executive Chairman
Chaired Argentaria before its 1999 merger with BBV and then BBVA until December 2018, 22 years at the head of the group in total. He drove the bank's technology rebuild and the 2007 purchase of Compass Bancshares in the United States.
Source - Jose Ignacio Goirigolzarri2001–2009
Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive of BBVA from 2001 to 2009, the period that covered the USD4.1 billion buyout of the rest of BBVA Bancomer in 2004 and the USD9.6 billion purchase of Compass Bancshares in 2007. He later chaired Bankia and CaixaBank.
Source - Angel Cano2009–2015
Chief Executive Officer
Appointed chief executive in September 2009, replacing Jose Ignacio Goirigolzarri.
Source - Carlos Torres Vila2015–2018
Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive from May 2015 until December 31, 2018, when he became executive chairman and Onur Genc took over as CEO. He had joined BBVA in 2008 to run strategy and corporate development and led digital banking from 2014.
Source - Onur Genc2018–present
Chief Executive Officer
Took over as CEO on December 31, 2018, the day Carlos Torres Vila became executive chairman.
Source
United Airlines
- Glenn F. Tilton2002–2010
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
United emerged in 2006 and he agreed the merger with Continental in 2010.
Source - Jeff Smisek2010–2015
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
He resigned in September 2015 during a federal investigation into dealings with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Source - Oscar Munoz2015–2020
Former CEO
Munoz handed over to Scott Kirby in May 2020 and served as executive chairman for a transition period.
Source - J. Scott Kirby2020–present
Chief Executive Officer
Under Kirby, United's revenue rose from $15.4 billion in 2020 to a record $59.1 billion in 2025, with premium cabins and MileagePlus as the main growth drivers.
Source
Timeline: BBVA and United Airlines side by side
1857BBVA
Banco de Bilbao is created
Bilbao's Board of Trade promotes the creation of Banco de Bilbao as a bank of issue and discount for the city's merchants. It is the oldest institution in BBVA's corporate line.
1901BBVA
Banco de Vizcaya is founded
Banco de Vizcaya is founded in Bilbao and grows alongside Banco de Bilbao as the second large Basque bank, financing regional industry.
1926United Airlines
Varney Air Lines begins
United traces its roots to Varney Air Lines and early air mail service.
1931United Airlines
United Air Lines organized
United Air Lines was formed to manage airline subsidiaries tied to United Aircraft and Transport.
1934United Airlines
Separation From Boeing
United Air Lines became an independent company in 1934 when the Air Mail Act forced the break-up of United Aircraft and Transport.
1988BBVA
Banco de Bilbao and Banco de Vizcaya merge
The two Basque rivals merge to form Banco Bilbao Vizcaya (BBV), one of the largest banks in Spain ahead of the European single market.
1997United Airlines
Star Alliance founded
United became one of the founding members of Star Alliance.
1999BBVA
BBV merges with Argentaria to create BBVA
BBV merges with Argentaria, the group Spain had assembled from state-owned lenders such as Banco Exterior, Banco Hipotecario and Caja Postal, forming Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria.
2000BBVA
BBVA takes control of Bancomer in Mexico
BBVA capitalizes Bancomer with USD1.4 billion and merges it with BBV-Probursa to create Grupo Financiero BBVA Bancomer, the largest bank in Mexico.
2002United Airlines
Chapter 11 Filing
United filed for Chapter 11 protection in December 2002 and emerged in February 2006.
2004BBVA
BBVA bids for the rest of BBVA Bancomer
BBVA offers USD4.1 billion in cash for the roughly 41 percent of BBVA Bancomer held by minority investors, ending with about 99 percent of the Mexican group.
2007BBVA
Compass Bancshares purchase builds a US franchise
BBVA buys Compass Bancshares of Birmingham, Alabama for USD9.6 billion, creating a Sunbelt retail bank that later traded as BBVA Compass and BBVA USA.
2010BBVA
BBVA agrees to buy 24.9 percent of Garanti
BBVA agrees to pay ~$4.74 billion (EUR4.195 billion), about USD5.84 billion, for 24.9 percent of Turkiye Garanti Bankasi, funded with a rights issue of about $5.65 billion (EUR5 billion).
2010United Airlines
Continental merger closes
UAL Corporation completed the Continental merger, later operating under the United brand.
2014BBVA
BBVA wins the auction for Catalunya Banc
BBVA bids ~$1.34 billion (EUR1.187 billion) for Catalunya Banc, with 1.5 million customers and ~$71.2 billion (EUR63 billion) of assets, in the auction run by Spain's bank restructuring fund. The deal closed in 2015.
2015United Airlines
Oscar Munoz becomes CEO
Oscar Munoz became chief executive of United in September 2015.
2017United Airlines
Passenger Removal Incident
A passenger was dragged off a United Express flight in Chicago in April 2017, prompting changes to overbooking policy.
2018BBVA
Onur Genc is named CEO
BBVA's board designates Onur Genc as chief executive from December 31, 2018, the date Carlos Torres Vila replaces Francisco Gonzalez as executive chairman.
2019BBVA
BBVA unifies its brand worldwide
The group drops local names such as BBVA Bancomer, BBVA Francés, BBVA Continental and BBVA Compass and operates as BBVA in every market.
2020United Airlines
Scott Kirby becomes CEO
Scott Kirby succeeded Oscar Munoz as CEO in May 2020.
2021BBVA
BBVA closes the transfer of BBVA USA to PNC
BBVA completes the transfer of BBVA USA Bancshares to PNC Financial Services on June 1, 2021, receiving about USD11.5 billion, equivalent to ~$10.8 billion (EUR9.6 billion), in cash.
2022BBVA
Tender offer lifts the Garanti stake to 85.97 percent
A tender offer at 15 Turkish lira per share closes in May 2022 and raises BBVA's holding in Garanti BBVA to 85.97 percent.
2025BBVA
The offer for Banco Sabadell lapses
Shareholders representing 25.47 percent of Sabadell's voting rights accept BBVA's all-share offer, short of the minimum BBVA required, and the bid lapses on October 16, 2025.
2025BBVA
Record net attributable profit of ~$11.9B (EUR10.511B)
BBVA reports gross income of ~$41.7B (EUR36.931B) and net attributable profit of ~$11.9B (EUR10.511B) for 2025, with ROTE of 19.3 percent and an efficiency ratio of 38.8 percent.
2025United Airlines
Revenue reaches record level
United reported record 2025 total operating revenue of $59.1 billion.
2026BBVA
BBVA is ordered to stand trial in the Villarejo case
Spain's National Court orders BBVA, former chairman Francisco Gonzalez and 14 other defendants to stand trial over work commissioned from former police commissioner Jose Manuel Villarejo between 2004 and 2016.
2026United Airlines
Q2 2026 revenue up 16%
United reported Q2 2026 revenue of $17.7 billion and raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $9-$11 despite nearly $6 billion in added fuel costs.
Acquisitions
BBVA
- Turkiye Garanti Bankasi tender offer (Turkey)2022Undisclosed
- Catalunya Banc (Spain)2014Undisclosed
- Turkiye Garanti Bankasi 24.9 percent stake (Turkey)2010$5.8B
- Compass Bancshares (United States)2007$9.6B
- BBVA Bancomer minority shares (Mexico)2004$4.1B
- Grupo Financiero Bancomer (Mexico)2000$1.4B
Questions about BBVA vs United Airlines
Who is the CEO of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. and United Airlines Holdings, Inc.?
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. is led by Onur Genç and United Airlines Holdings, Inc. is led by Scott Kirby. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. founded vs United Airlines Holdings, Inc.?
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. was founded in 1857 — 69 years before United Airlines Holdings, Inc., which was founded in 1926. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger United Airlines Holdings, Inc..
How many employees does Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. have compared to United Airlines Holdings, Inc.?
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. employs approximately 127,174 people, while United Airlines Holdings, Inc. employs approximately 113,200. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. has the larger workforce at 127,174 employees, compared to United Airlines Holdings, Inc.'s 113,200. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. and United Airlines Holdings, Inc. headquartered?
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. is headquartered in Spain and United Airlines Holdings, Inc. is headquartered in United States. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. and United Airlines Holdings, Inc.?
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. was founded by Bilbao Board of Trade. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. was founded by Walter T. Varney, William Boeing.
Which company has a longer operating history — Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. or United Airlines Holdings, Inc.?
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. has been operating for approximately 169 years, making it the more established of the two companies. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. has been in operation for around 100 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the BBVA vs United Airlines overview