Philippine Airlines has confirmed the appointment of Capt. Stanley K. Ng as president and chief operating officer during the flag carrier’s annual stockholders meeting, its operator PAL Holdings said Friday.
“The confirmation comes less than four months after his initial appointment to the same position in an acting capacity,” PAL Holdings said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.
Ng replaced former PAL president Gilbert Santa Maria, whose engagement ended following the recent completion of PAL’s Chapter 11 restructuring, it said.
“I am humbled by the trust and confidence of our PAL board and stockholders. Working together with the entire PAL leadership team and our valued employees, I pledge to do the best we can, with passion and dedication, to ensure that Philippine Airlines fulfills its mandate as the flag carrier to be of service to the flying public,” Ng said.
In the first quarter, PAL posted a net comprehensive income of P1.2 billion as it ramped up both domestic and international operations, which were heavily impacted by restrictions to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.
The flag carrier earlier said it expects to return to 100 percent of its pre-pandemic capacity this year.
Philippine Airlines named Ng, a former pilot, in January as its new president and chief operating officer to guide the airline’s full recovery from Chapter 11 restructuring.
The airline, controlled by tycoon Lcio Tan, appointed Ng, also former senior vice president for airline operations as new president and COO in an acting capacity.
PAL said its board expressed gratitude to Santa Maria for his steady stewardship of the company over the last two and a half years.
“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,” PAL said.
An Airbus A320 commander, Capt. Ng is the first pilot to assume the presidency of PAL since the early 1960s. He brings to the job a wealth of experience in the airline industry.
Ng started as a member of the flag carrier’s on-ground staff in 2003 before training at the PAL Aviation School. He started flying in 2008 as a second officer and rose up the ranks until he was promoted to senior vice president in 2019 in charge of the airline’s internationally-respected pilots and cabin crew and operational airport and engineering teams.
Ng recently completed an Advance Management Program at Harvard Business School. He is married to Lilybeth Tan, a daughter of Lucio Tan.
He took up Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Major in Computer Applications at the De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde.
Ng said his priority is to contribute to the country’s transport infrastructure buildup and sustainable development and make PAL worthy of Filipinos’ enduring trust and support.
“Giving back to the Philippines, giving back to the society—that’s really my purpose; not really trying to make a profit, a lot of profit out of PAL, but it’s really more of the purpose to continue providing the best service the Filipinos deserve,” he said in a separate statement.
The US Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York earlier approved the reorganization plan of PAL after receiving creditor support throughout the process.
The plan provides for over $2 billion in permanent balance sheet reductions from creditors, allows PAL to consensually contract fleet capacity by 25 percent, improves PAL’s critical operational agreements and includes $505-million investment in long-term equity and debt financing from PAL’s majority shareholder.
“My part in the Chapter 11 filing was operations and safety. So, we’re able to actually perform well. In terms of operational safety, our standards are really high,” Ng said.
