Air New Zealand’s veteran chief pilot steps down from executive role

Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and safety officer Captain David Morgan is stepping down from his leadership position at the airline.

Morgan has been with the airline for nearly 40 years and, while he will no longer be in his corporate role, will continue flying for the company in what will be his sixth aircraft type, the Airbus A320.

He has been a constant figure at the airline during some of its most tumultuous times and a highly regarded public face of the company.

In an NZX announcement today, the airline said Morgan had given a lifetime of service to Air New Zealand, for nearly four decades at the helm through the highest of highs and some of the toughest periods in the airline’s history.

Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran said it was a sad day for the airline, and the airline wouldn’t be what it is today without the service Morgan delivered throughout his tenure.

“When people think of Air New Zealand, many Kiwis will know or have heard of Captain David Morgan. He’s represented the airline on the ground and in the skies with the highest level of excellence, and I speak on behalf of all Air New Zealanders past and present when I say a heartfelt thank you for his service,” said Foran.

“David will be deeply missed by the leadership team and many others across the business and aviation community. We are grateful he is continuing to fly with us, and I look forward to the day I hear him say, ‘Welcome on board this Air New Zealand aircraft’ when I board one of our flights.”

The airline was working through a replacement for the role with Morgan staying on the leadership team until early 2025 to support the transition.

In 2016 he told the Herald that when he was 23, he knew what he wanted to be.

But he did not want to become just any commercial pilot – he was well into gaining that ticket – but the top pilot at the country’s national airline.

“I had a clear sense of what I wanted to achieve. I had an aspiration – I wrote myself a letter and I said I’d like to be the chief pilot for Air New Zealand and I achieved that.”

Grant Bradley has been working at the Herald since 1993. He is the Business Herald’s deputy editor and covers aviation and tourism.