Philippine Airlines has appointed its first foreign leader, tapping on former SriLankan CEO Richard Nuttall to lead the national carrier.
Nuttall will take helm of the Manila-headquartered carrier from 29 May, the airline discloses. He replaces outgoing president Stanley Ng, who will move to airline parent PAL Holdings as vice president and director.
Nuttall’s appointment comes amid efforts aimed at “strengthening its leadership team and a bolder push in the international market”, says the carrier.
“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,” adds airline chair Lucio Tan.
Under Nuttall’s tenure, SriLankan returned to profitability after being hit by a double-whammy of the pandemic and political upheaval. FlightGlobal has reached out to SriLankan for more details about Nuttall’s departure.
At PAL, Nuttall will be supported by Carlos Luis Fernandez, who will be promoted to the role of operating chief and executive vice president from 29 May.
The executive reshuffle comes as PAL forecasts strong travel demand through the summer season, and as the airline expands its operations at its Cebu hub. PAL is also due to take delivery of its first Airbus A350-1000 this year and is due to undertake a cabin retrofit of its A321ceos.
PAL Holdings saw its attributable net profit more than halve to Ps8.1 billion ($144 million) for the year to 31 December 2024. This was on the back of a slight dip in revenue to Ps179.1 billion, with passenger revenues down 2.9% year on year, while cargo and ancillary revenue increased.
