Flag carrier PAL gets its first foreign president

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rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-1" );MANILA, Philippines – Richard Nuttall will be flag carrier Philippine Airlines’ (PAL) next president, replacing Filipino Captain Stanley Ng beginning May 29.Nuttall is a British with decades of experience in the aviation industry and, according to his LinkedIn profile, served as PAL’s senior commercial advisor for months in 1999.



“I am honored to join Philippine Airlines at such a pivotal time. The airline has accomplished so much in recent years, and I look forward to building on that progress as we explore new avenues for growth,” Nuttall said in a statement on Wednesday, April 23. Meanwhile, Carlos Luis Fernandez, PAL’s senior vice president, will assume the role of executive vice president and chief operating officer next month.

Nuttall will be the first foreigner to serve as president since the flag carrier was co-founded by Andres Soriano, a businessman born in Manila from an “old and distinguished Spanish family.” Soriano became a Filipino citizen in 1941, the same year he established Philippine Air Lines — an offshoot from the Philippine Aerial Taxi Company established in 1931 and shuttered in 1939.He is the second foreigner to lead one of the major airlines in the Philippines.

The Gokongweis’ Cebu Pacific tapped Mike Szücs, who was born in the United Kingdom, to lead the budget carrier in January 2023 after serving as its chief executive adviser since 2016.Nuttall will bring knowledge from his work leading several other flag carriers and airlines across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. He has also held consultancy roles throughout his career in the aviation industry.

He recently served as the chief executive officer of SriLankan Airlines, which returned to profitability under his leadership. Nuttall held several roles for Saudi Airlines — from vice president of its commercial transformation to vice president for sales. His other appointments include chief commercial and strategy officer of Royal Jordanian, Bahrain Air’s chief executive officer for nearly three years, and commercial director of Kenya Airways.

He will be reporting to PAL chairman and CEO Dr. Lucio Tan, and Lucio Tan III, the president and chief operating officer of the airline’s parent company — PAL Holdings, Inc.“Philippine Airlines has always been committed to working with the best people across all levels, and I welcome Richard Nuttall as a worthy addition to an already formidable team.

I am confident that he will create and develop sustainable growth for PAL,” Dr. Lucio Tan said. Meanwhile, Lucio Tan III said Nuttall’s appointment is an integral part of the airline’s “medium-term and long-term strategy of building a robust management team and growing [its] business internationally.

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rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-2" );“As President, he will play an active role in bringing a global dimension to the Heart of the Filipino, and I look forward to working closely with him in the days and months ahead,” he said. Ng — who has been leading the flag carrier since January 2022 — will be taking on the role of vice president of PAL Holdings and a member of the airline’s board of directors.

Ng is a son-in-law of Dr. Lucio Tan. [READ: Lucio Tan son-in-law is new PAL acting president]“I warmly welcome Mr.

Nuttall to the PAL Group. I believe that under his leadership, we will sustain the momentum we’ve built over the past years,” said Ng, who will be focusing on bringing PAL to “a new level of service and profitability.” Must Read PAL may restart direct Europe flights by 2025 but needs ‘help’ to keep prices competitive PAL scored a net income of P10.

01 billion in 2024, serving 15.6 million passengers with 110,867 flights across Asia, North America, Australia, and around the Philippines. It also opened a new route — Manila to Seattle — and revived its Cebu to Osaka and Clark to Basco and Siargao routes.

New aircraft are also on the way — in 2025, the airline expects to receive the first of its 9 Airbus A350-1000 orders. The new aircraft will serve as its flagship aircraft for long-haul travels.It will also be introducing its newly refurbished A321ceos and will get 13 new A321neos by 2026.

– Rappler.com.