Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran Navigates Pandemic and Engine Issues

Taking the Helm at Air New Zealand

• 💡 Greg Foran returned to New Zealand for his wife's desire to raise their son there and for succession planning at his previous role.
• ✈️ Despite no prior aviation experience, he was convinced to take the CEO role, being told he didn't need to be an expert.

Navigating the Pandemic Crisis

• ⚠️ His tenure began in February 2020, immediately facing the cancellation of the Shanghai route due to COVID-19.
• 📞 A phone call from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern informed him of the impending country-wide shutdown, halting most flights for 2.5 years.
• 📉 The airline faced immense pressure, including staff isolation, a capital raise, and a significant drop in share price.

Post-Pandemic Recovery and Current Hurdles

• 🚀 After only four weeks' notice to reopen, Air New Zealand lost a third of its staff, leading to a challenging restart period.
• ⚙️ Currently, the airline is experiencing a $100 million hit due to problematic engines on its Dreamliner (Rolls-Royce Trent 1000) and A321 (Pratt & Whitney 1100) fleets, grounding several aircraft.

Leadership Lessons and Philosophy

• 🧠 Foran learned that during the crisis, no one had a playbook, and he would have retained more staff despite costs due to the long training times required for airline roles.
• 💬 He emphasizes responding to customer and staff feedback to learn and set a culture of speed and accountability.
• 🤝 As a state-owned carrier, Air New Zealand balances the needs of five key stakeholders: customers, staff, suppliers, communities, and shareholders.