Veteran Air New Zealand commercial boss Scott Carr leaving airline

Scott Carr's imminent departure adds to the near-total turnover of the Air New Zealand executive team since the pandemic hit in early 2020. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Air New Zealand’s domestic general manager Scott Carr is leaving the airline, dealing another blow to commercial strength in the airline’s upper ranks.

Carr’s career has been described as “stellar” by the airline.

He is the latest person with deep institutional knowledge to depart this year.

Chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty announced her departure last month after 20 years with the airline.

“After a stellar career spanning 35 years with Air New Zealand, Scott Carr has decided to hang up his hat, leaving the airline at the end of this year,” a spokesperson told the Herald.

In an internal customer and sales team note, Carr is thanked for his “incredible service”. The note said he would be spending more time playing and walking his Labrador.

Carr has worked around the world for the airline, but since July his most recent job as domestic “tribe lead” threw him into the spotlight as Air New Zealand copped increasing heat for high airfares on the network on which it has a near-monopoly.

Earlier in his career he was part of a team that set up the merged domestic airline group and was involved in launching new-style domestic fares as the airline recovered from the Ansett collapse in 2001.

Scott Carr is domestic general manager at Air New Zealand. Photo / Supplied

He led the Air New Zealand Asia team based in Singapore when Covid hit, and then returned to New Zealand.

In his role as general manager of networks from 2020 and then international general manager he was involved with navigating the airline through the pandemic and restarting the long-haul network.

“Scott has made a significant contribution to the airline and his friendship, support, and expertise will be sorely missed by many,” the spokesperson said.

Earlier this year chief operational integrity and safety officer Captain David Morgan announced he would step down from an executive role at the airline, although will keep flying domestic routes.

There has now been a near-total turnover of the Air New Zealand executive team since the pandemic hit in early 2020.

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