According to , the Singapore Airlines boss recorded a 21% increase in his salary for the last financial year compared to 2022.听听

The news outlet said that Phong pocketed a healthy SG8.11 million ($6 million) after he delivered the highest full year operating and net profits in the group精东影业 history. 

The company精东影业 latest annual report published on July 1, 2024, also said the CEO精东影业 base salary rose from SG1.1 million ($811k) in 2022, to SG1.44 million ($1 million). 

In May 2023, Singapore Airlines Group (SAG) reported a record profit of SG$2.7 billion ($1.99 billion) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024. 

Following the positive results Singapore Airlines hit the headlines after announcing that staff would receive eight months鈥� worth of salary as a bonus. 

SAG, which includes Scoot, credits robust demand for air travel which resulted in record passenger revenue.   

According to the group, demand for air travel was boosted by a rebound in North Asia as China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan fully reopened their borders following the COVID 19 pandemic. 

Phong recently offered his 鈥渄eepest apologies鈥� to passengers on flight SQ321 between London and Singapore who experienced severe turbulence.听

During the incident on May 20, 2024, one passenger died, and more than 30 others were injured.  

Passengers who sustained minor injuries from the incident were offered $10,000 each by the airline while those with more serious injuries have been invited to discuss a compensation offer that would meet each specific circumstance.听

Singapore Airlines to give staff eight months鈥� salary bonus after record profit

• Aviation Economics & Finance

byJean Carmela Lim

2024-05-16

On June 17, 2024, the newspaper that GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp declined to be considered for one of the most challenging roles in aviation.听听

Another candidate is thought to be Spirit AeroSystems boss Pat Shanahan, who previously spent 30 years at Boeing in various roles.  

It is understood that Shanahan held talks with Boeing, but any further progress is on hold while the planemaker discusses taking over Spirit AeroSystems.听

Culp was considered a natural replacement for Boeing due to the success he has had during his time at GE Aerospace, but he reportedly wants to stay where he is to focus on making jet engines. 

A lot of analysis surrounding the future Boeing CEO has focused on a need for someone with engineering expertise rather than a background in finance and that they should be located near Boeing精东影业 facilities in Everett.  

Boeing has faced criticism since a door plug separated from an Alaska Airlines 737-8 shortly after takeoff on January 5, 2024, plus other safety and production failings that were subsequently discovered, for being too focused on profits rather than quality.  

The CEO of Carrier Corporation David Gitlin was also said to be a favored candidate for the Boeing CEO role, but he also declined an approach.  

Internally Boeing Chairman Steven Mollenkopf and Operating Chief Stephanie Pope have been rumored to be contenders for the top position.  

On June 18, 2024, Dave Calhoun will appear in front of the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations to answer questions on 鈥淏oeing精东影业 broken safety culture鈥�.  

It精东影业 expected he will be grilled by senators over safety problems at the company, quality control and the treatment of whistleblowers.听听

FAA investigates the use of 鈥榗ounterfeit鈥� titanium in Boeing and Airbus jets

• Aviation Safety

byIan Molyneaux

2024-06-16

Avatar Airlines, which calls itself an 鈥榓mbitious startup set to revolutionize the airline industry鈥�, is searching for an 鈥榚xceptional鈥� CEO, offering a base salary of $500,000 plus a performance bonus of up to 50% of the base salary.

The airline said the new CEO will  take over from the current CEO/Founder, Barry Michaels who, at 82 is set to retire as Chairman.

Requirements: Avatar has said that the successful candidate will have a minimum of twenty years鈥� leadership experience, with the ability and vision to build Avatar into a multi-billion dollar public company. Prior airline experience is not necessarily a requirement.

Another important requirement: 鈥淥ur CEO position requires a $250,000 investment in Avatar. The reason current management  feels this is necessary are many, but most of all it provides the assurance of knowing our CEO will be fully engaged and dedicated to seeing Avatar get off the ground.鈥�

The airline claims that these funds will be used primarily to begin marketing Avatar精东影业 $300,000,000 offering.

The full job ad can be viewed . 

Founded by the current CEO, Barry Michaels, in 1992, Avatar was initially known by the name Family Airlines. 

鈥淥ur plan is to start with four Boeing 747-400 aircraft, add eight more by the end of the first year of operations and have purchased a total of 30 by the end of the third year,鈥� the airline said on its website. 

According to its LinkedIn page, Avatar Airlines plans to hire 2,000 employees once it is certified, using the Boeing 747 for its operations. 

Jordan has been under pressure since new investor Elliott Investment Management sent a letter to the Dallas-based airline精东影业 board of directors on June 10, 2024, criticizing the way the airline had been managed in recent years.听

According to , on June 13, 2024, a second investor, Artisan Partners, said it had raised similar concerns with Southwest Airlines.听听

In a letter sent to Southwest, two investors at Artisan Partners urged the carrier to 鈥渞econstitute itself and upgrade the company精东影业 leadership鈥� and believes that the process should 鈥渃ommence immediately鈥�. 

However, while speaking to journalists after a Politico event in Washington Jordan said he had 鈥渘o plans to resign鈥�. 

鈥淲e鈥檝e got an investor day in September, and I鈥檓 eager to lay out a very broad plan for how we improve the company both from a customer perspective but from a financial perspective,鈥� Jordan said. 

He added: 鈥淓lliott can provide us ideas. They can talk to other shareholders, but Elliott is not directing the company.鈥� 

Elliot holds a $1.9 billion equity position in the airline, equivalent to nearly 11%, while Artisan Partners owns 1.8%. 

Elliot expressed concerns that Southwest Airlines was falling behind its industry peers in critical areas such as IT systems setup, the exploitation of revenue generation opportunities and its operational efficiency.听听听听

Major shareholder calls for Southwest Airlines shake up, CEO resignation

• Airlines

byMiquel Ros

2024-06-11

In an interview with Switzerland’s , the head of Lufthansa Group commented on Boeing精东影业 failings following the Alaska Airlines plug door blowout and the subsequent ramifications that have seen aircraft production drop.听

鈥淭his is extremely annoying and costs us a lot, a lot of money. However, I am sure that Boeing will get the problems under control. The industry needs two strong providers. Everyone has an interest in Boeing being able to build great aircraft more reliably again soon,鈥� Spohr said.  

When asked if he understood why some passengers were opting to not fly on Boeing aircraft, Spohr dismissed the notion and reiterated the aviation industry精东影业 record for safety. 

鈥淓very day, 30,000 planes take off around the world, multiple times. Around half of them were built by Boeing. Our industry offers by far the highest safety standards compared to other means of transport,鈥� Spohr explained. 

Spohr added that every plane built for Lufthansa, whether it is Boeing or Airbus, is overseen during production to ensure they meet the airline精东影业 standards. 

While there has been much talk about Chinese aircraft manufacturers entering the fold the Lufthansa boss dismissed the airline purchasing planes built in China at least for the next few years. 

鈥淕iven the safety standards that we set at the Lufthansa Group, I don’t think that’s realistic,鈥� he said 

According to Spohr, Lufthansa is receiving a new aircraft every 10 days, including a new long-haul jet every month.  

鈥淭his has never happened before,鈥� Spohr commented. 

Lufthansa Group makes $785M Q1 loss but outlook remains positive for summer 2024听

• Airlines
• Aviation Economics & Finance

byLuke Peters

2024-05-01

Hayes will take the helm of Airbus Americas following the news that the current Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Knittel will retire on June 3, 2024, after serving as the region精东影业 top executive since 2018.听

Airbus announced the new appointment on April 22, 2024, citing Hayes鈥� 35 years of global aerospace leadership with senior executive roles at British Airways over the course of his 19-year tenure and JetBlue, where he was CEO for nine years. 

From 2020 to 2022, Hayes was also chair of the International Air Transport Association精东影业 (IATA) Board of Governors.听

鈥淚 am delighted to welcome Robin to Airbus,鈥� said Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury. 鈥淭ogether with the leadership team we鈥檙e looking forward to having Robin and his vast industry experience onboard to further deliver on our strategic objectives for the region across all the Airbus businesses and further grow our North American footprint. I want to thank Jeff for his many contributions to Airbus鈥� success over the years, and I wish him all the best for a well-deserved retirement.鈥� 

As Chairman and CEO, Hayes will lead the commercial aircraft business, and will have responsibility for coordination among the company精东影业 helicopters, space, and defense businesses in North America. 

鈥淎fter some time off, I am excited and energized to join Airbus and build on the incredible success in the region. I have known Jeff and the Airbus team for well over a decade and I believe they have done a terrific job leading Airbus in the Americas. It is an honor for me to take up this opportunity to be part of the Airbus team,鈥� Hayes said.  

He added: 鈥淎irbus鈥� commitment to safety and decarbonisation is incredibly important to me personally, and I am both motivated by and committed to contributing to the Airbus purpose to pioneer sustainable aerospace.鈥�   

In North America there are more than 10,000 Airbus employees across 50 sites. 

Knittel said that working at Airbus had been a 鈥減rivilege鈥� and he was 鈥渋mmensely proud鈥� of the team精东影业 accomplishments.  

Knittel will remain at Airbus through a transition period.听

Exploring the use of robotics and automation to enhance airport ground handling

• Aviation Technology and Innovation

byJean Carmela Lim

2024-07-06

Mollenkopf, who was elected by the board to succeed Larry Kellner as independent board chair, reportedly canceled formal meetings with key US carriers and is instead opting to speak directly with the heads of American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Alaska Airlines.   

In March 2024, the reported that heads of several airlines had requested a meeting with members of the Boeing board to air their frustrations.听

Boeing CEO David Calhoun was said to have supported the meeting but was not expected to attend.  

Along with mounting scrutiny of Boeing by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the request for this meeting appears in part to have been a catalyst for Calhoun精东影业 decision to stand down at the end of 2024. 

With Mollenkopf reportedly now approaching the US airline CEOs directly it appears that this course of action was considered the best approach.  

Boeing delivered around 40 737 MAXs a month at the end of 2023, but this figure is expected to fall to nearer 15 in the near future. 

Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and United Airlines are all waiting on deliveries of jets that are now facing delays. 

The delays in deliveries are forcing airlines to rejig schedules for the year and reevaluate finances.  

On March 29, 2024, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) wrote to United pilots to advise them of an offer to take unpaid leave in May 2024 due to Boeing aircraft delivery delays.听听听听听

鈥淒ue to recent changes to our Boeing deliveries, the remaining 2024 forecast block hours for United have been significantly reduced,鈥� ALPA said in a note to members. 鈥淲hile the delivery issues surround our 787 and 737 fleets, the impact will affect other fleets as well.鈥�   

Airline bosses to meet with Boeing, FBI reaches out to Alaska 737-9 鈥榲ictims鈥櫶�

• Airlines
• Aviation Safety

byIan Molyneaux

2024-03-22

The decision was confirmed by Boeing on March 25, 2024, and comes at a time when Boeing is under increasing pressure over safety following the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 door plug blowout on January 5, 2024.  

The company said that Calhoun will lead Boeing 鈥渢hrough the year to complete the critical work underway to stabilize and position the company for the future.鈥� 

Stan Deal, the Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO, often the face of the company following the Alaska Airlines incident, has also announced that he will retire and will be replaced by the current Chief Operating Officer Stephanie Pope. 

鈥淚t has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve Boeing,鈥� Calhoun wrote in a letter to employees. 鈥淭he eyes of the world are on us, and I know that we will come through this moment a better company. We will remain squarely focused on completing the work we have done together to return our company to stability after the extraordinary challenges of the past five years, with safety and quality at the forefront of everything that we do.鈥� 

In addition, Chair Larry Kellner has informed the board that he does not intend to stand for re-election at the upcoming Annual Shareholder meeting. 

Steve Mollenkopf was elected by the board to succeed Kellner as independent board chair and will lead the search for a new CEO.  

‘I think it really shows how the mindset has been on production’

Pressure has been mounting at Boeing after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began investigating safety processes at Boeing and the US Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into the Alaska Airlines incident. 

In an interview on 鈥樷�� on March 19, 2024, the FAA head said that Boeing精东影业 鈥渕indset鈥� around production needs to 鈥渟hift.鈥�    

FAA chief Michael Whitaker spoke of a recent visit to Boeing精东影业 facilities in which he saw for himself that the company精东影业 focus appears to be on production rather than safety and quality.   

鈥淭here are issues around the safety culture in Boeing,鈥� Whitaker told the NBC show.听鈥淭heir priorities have been focused on production and not on safety and quality. And so, what we are really focused on now is shifting that focus from production to safety and quality.鈥澨�

When Whitaker was asked during the interview specifically what he saw at the Boeing facilities that concerned him, his response was stinging of the planemaker.  

鈥淲ell, really looking for that indicator of a safety culture,鈥� Whitaker explained. 鈥淪o before going out on the floor of a manufacturing floor, you would expect a thorough safety briefing. That wasn鈥檛 part of the process. And then reviewing the floor, expected a lot of conversation around quality assurance and safety and again, that wasn鈥檛 there. It was all about production. And there精东影业 nothing wrong with production, but it has to follow safety.鈥� 

鈥淚 think it really shows how the mindset has been on production, and I think you would have expected at least more of a show of focus on safety and that was lacking,鈥� Whitaker concluded.听

Dave Calhoun精东影业 letter to Boeing staff听

Announcing his departure to Boeing staff, Calhoun sent a long letter explaining the decision in which he described the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 accident as a 鈥渨atershed鈥� moment for the company.  

鈥淚 want to thank each and every one of you for how you have stepped up to this challenge and for the work now underway to make sure we demonstrate to all stakeholders that the Boeing of the future is everything they should expect it to be. We have been working together for the last five years to address some of the most significant challenges our company and industry have ever faced in our 108-year history,鈥� Calhoun wrote.  

The CEO added: 鈥淚 am confident that the way we have confronted these challenges, and how we are responding to this specific moment, is establishing standards for future generations of employees and will be woven into the fabric of how we operate for decades to come.鈥澨�

Boeing Latest鈥�

Today, we welcome news of management changes inside Boeing and look forward to working closely with Dave Calhoun and Stephanie Pope to eliminate delivery delays.

Speaking from our Dublin HQ, Michael O鈥橪eary had this to say:

— Ryanair Press Team (@RyanairPress)

In the letter Calhoun said that he had been 鈥渃onsidering for some time鈥� with board members about the 鈥渞ight time for a CEO transition at Boeing鈥�. 

Calhoun also thanked his colleagues that were stepping into new executive roles of leaving the company.  

He also praised the Chief Operating Officer Stephanie Pope who will become the Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO.  

鈥淪tephanie knows our company inside and out and has a proven track record of superb leadership, including an innate talent for listening and responding to our people. Stephanie is a third-generation Boeing employee. She is deeply committed to our company, to our employees and to our shared future; and she is the perfect person to take on the leadership of our commercial airplanes business at this moment,鈥� Calhoun wrote.  

FAA chief says factory visit shows Boeing精东影业 focus on production over safety

• Aviation Safety

byIan Molyneaux

2024-03-20

In the message to United Airlines customers on March 18, 2024, CEO Scott Kirby said that the incidents 鈥渉ave our attention and have sharpened our focus鈥�. 

Among the most high-profile safety incidents in recent weeks was a Boeing 777-200 that lost a tire shortly after takeoff from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on March 7, 2024, and a Boeing 737 MAX 8 that veered off the runway at Houston-George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) on March 8, 2024.听

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also published a preliminary report into an incident involving 鈥渟tuck鈥� rudders on a United Boeing 737 MAX 8.听 听

The 737-8 landed at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) on February 6, 2024, when the captain reported that during the landing rollout, the rudder pedals failed to move in response to the 鈥渘ormal鈥� application.   

鈥淯nfortunately, in the past few weeks, our airline has experienced a number of incidents that are reminders of the importance of safety. While they are all unrelated, I want you to know that these incidents have our attention and have sharpened our focus,鈥� Kirby wrote in the message to customers.  

The CEO said that the airline is reviewing each incident to understand what happened and using any insights to 鈥渋nform鈥� safety training.听听

JUST IN: In a new letter to United customers, CEO Scott Kirby says March incidents "have our attention and have sharpened our focus."

Now the airline is adding an extra day of pilot training and retooling training for new mechanics.

— Pete Muntean (@petemuntean)

Additionally, the airline is already planning an extra in-house day of training for all its pilots starting in May 2024, and a centralized training curriculum for all new maintenance technicians.  

鈥淲e empower our team to speak up and raise their hand if they see something wrong. You can be confident that every time a United plane pulls away from the gate, everyone on our team is working together to keep you safe on your trip,鈥� Kirby wrote.听听

He concluded the message by writing: 鈥淚鈥檓 confident we鈥檒l learn the right lessons from these incidents and continue to run an operation that puts safety first and makes our employees and customers proud.鈥澨�

Other United Airlines incidents in 2024:听听

• United Airlines Boeing 737-800 lands in Oregon with missing fuselage panel听
• United Airlines B777-300 bound for SFO returns to Sydney after mechanical issues听
• United Airlines pilot diverts Boeing 737 as flames burst from engine听
• United A321neo fleet grounded due to issue over passenger 鈥楴o Smoking鈥� signs听
• United Airlines B737-800 flight diverted after crack in windshield found听

United Airlines pilot prompts NTSB probe into Boeing 737 MAX 8 rudder defect

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-03-08

PLAY announced on March 17, 2024, that Birgir J贸nsson had signed an employment termination agreement and that one of PLAY精东影业 largest shareholders, Einar 脰rn 脫lafsson, would take over as CEO.

脫lafsson has been chairman of the board since April 2021 and has now rescinded his candidacy as a board member for the upcoming election at the PLAY精东影业 Annual General Meeting on March 21, 2024. 

鈥淚 am really looking forward to this new role. After a great ramp-up phase these past few years under Birgir精东影业 strong leadership, the Company is now at a turning point. As the Company精东影业 largest shareholder, I鈥檇 like to see my investment through. I am very familiar with PLAY精东影业 operations and employees and can see ample opportunities and exciting projects in the operation going forward,鈥� 脫lafsson said.  

He added: 鈥淚鈥檓 grateful to PLAY精东影业 Board of Directors for their trust in me and I鈥檇 like to use the opportunity to thank Birgir for his contribution to PLAY and for our pleasant and productive collaboration during these past few years.鈥� 

J贸nsson described his time at PLAY as a 鈥渞eal adventure鈥� and praised the 鈥減owerful Icelandic low-cost airline鈥� after it was built in a 鈥渞elatively short time鈥�.

鈥淎 competitive landscape in the aviation industry will result in lower fares, a diverse selection of destinations and valuable foreign tourists, which is especially important for an island like us. This competition is in the interest of all Icelanders. I therefore leave my position with immense pride,鈥� J贸nsson said.听

He added: 鈥淧LAY has now left its infancy and grown up to be a mature airline. I鈥檝e had a good and close working relationship with Einar and leave the Company in his capable hands. I look forward to seeing PLAY flourish under his leadership. I鈥檇 like to thank our passengers and partners for this particularly enjoyable period.鈥� 

J贸nsson will continue to work for PLAY until April 2, 2024, and will remain as an advisor for the airline for the next few months. 

The Icelandic carrier was founded in 2019 by Arnar M谩r Magn煤sson and Sveinn Ingi Stein镁贸rsson as WAB air before changing its name to PLAY later that year.

As of January 2024, PLAY connects some 40 destinations across Europe with five airports in the US and Canada. 

PLAY has 10 aircraft in its fleet through lease agreements, comprising of six A320neo and four A321neo.听

PLAY Airlines CEO on building a low-cost听link between Europe and the US

• Executive Spotlight

byMiquel Ros

2024-02-01