Dame Therese Walsh and Greg Foran at the opening last week of Hangar 4. Photo / Michael Craig
They’ve seen tragedy, reckonings with past mistakes, and unprecedented upheaval.
And one of them is yet to occupy the top job.
Today Air New Zealand has unveiled dedicated rooms named for five leaders at Auckland’s new Hangar 4.
The building is 35m high and 98m wide, and reputed to be the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest single-span timber arch aircraft hangar.
It was opened last week with guests including Prime Minister Christopher Luxon attending.
The project started in 2019.
Today it gets five rooms named for former leaders, the current boss, and the future CEO. The rooms will be named for Ralph Norris, Rob Fyfe, Luxon, Greg Foran, and Nikhil Ravishankar.
All five were at last week’s hangar opening event.
Norris ran the airline from 2002 to 2005.
He was credited by some for pulling it out of the mess from its ill-fated acquisition of Ansett and the aftermath of September 11.
Under his tenure, the airline posted a net profit of $165.7 million in 2003, its first full-year net profit in four years.
“The challenges of the future, whether they are economic or technological, will demand the same grit and ingenuity that Air New Zealanders have shown over the past 85 years,” Norris said today.
Fyfe was CEO from 2005 to 2012.
“For me, leading Air New Zealand was more than just leading an airline,” he said today.
“It was a reflection of New Zealand’s spirit, our sense of identity, our innovation, our heart, our humour and our deep sense of pride in our nation.”
Fyfe encountered tragedy in 2008, when an Airbus 320 about to be returned from a charter airline crashed off Perpignan in the south of France.
Five New Zealanders died in the crash.
And in 2009, he apologised for the airline’s behaviour after the 1979 Erebus tragedy.
In 2012, he told the Herald he was most proud of his decision to tackle the legacy of Erebus.
After Fyfe, Luxon led the airline until departing for a political career in 2019.
Luxon today said Hangar 4 showcased the best of Kiwi ingenuity and innovation.
“Economic growth is key to our prosperity and Air New Zealand’s role in tourism and trade is a critical part of the Government’s plan to double export earnings by 2034.”
Foran signed up after Luxon, and encountered the Covid-19 pandemic soon after.
His tenure has also seen difficulties with engine maintenance issues, and New Zealand’s sluggish economy.
In May, he unveiled the $490 million Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner retrofit.
Foran said it had been a big week for the airline with Hangar 4 opening.
“In aviation, legacy matters. The decisions we make today often shape the airline for many years to come.
“The new hangar opened last week had its inception during Prime Minister Luxon’s leadership of the airline.”
Ravishankar said he was humbled to be entrusted with the airline’s leadership.
He takes up the role on October 20.
Air New Zealand chairwoman Dame Therese Walsh today said strong leadership had been crucial to shaping the airline’s success.
“We are delighted to acknowledge the outstanding contribution of each of these incredible leaders to our national carrier.”
Air New Zealand yesterday announced some leadership changes.
Chief operating officer Alex Marren will step down in March after some 39 years in aviation here and abroad.
Current chief commercial officer Jeremy O’Brien has been appointed chief customer and digital officer.
He was previously a commercial director at TVNZ.
And the airline lured Scott Wilkinson from its rival, Qantas.
His return to New Zealand was announced earlier this year but yesterday the airline said he would start as new chief commercial officer on October 7.
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.