FLAG carrier Philippine Airlines has appointed Stanley K. Ng, its SVP for Airline Operations, as the new president and COO of the company.
Ng, a son-in-law of billionaire Lucio C. Tan, will sit as the new president and COO of the carrier in an acting or officer-in-charge capacity, replacing Gilbert F. Santa Maria, who helped steer PAL into its Chapter 11 restructuring last year. His appointment makes Ng the first pilot to assume the presidency of PAL since the 1960s. He started as an on-ground staff in 2003 before becoming a second officer in 2008. In 2019, he was promoted to SVP.
“The board expressed full trust and confidence in Capt. Ng, as well as in its senior management team which remains intact, as the nation’s flag carrier looks to maintain the momentum toward full recovery,” the company said in a statement.Santa Maria is “ending” his “engagement” with PAL after two and a half years.
“The former President and COO will continue to make himself available to assist in the leadership transition over the next few weeks,” the statement read. Santa Maria is credited for many things in PAL. Most recently, he led the company into its successful restructuring program that freed up PAL from significant amounts of debt and provided the company with additional liquidity for long-term growth.