Air New Zealand has announced chief financial officer Richard Thomson will resign from his role, departing the airline on August 28.
Thomson rejoined Air New Zealand in March 2021, having previously held senior commercial and finance roles with the airline.
During his tenure as CFO, he played a key role in the airline’s recapitalisation, its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, and managing challenges related to aircraft availability.
Air New Zealand chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar said Thomson had been an "exceptional leader and a highly respected member of the executive".
"Richard has been Chief Financial Officer of Air New Zealand during one of the most significant periods in our history. He has brought deep financial expertise, strong commercial judgement, and a calm disciplined approach to the role," he said in a statement posted to the NZX this morning.
He said Thomson was highly respected across Air New Zealand, the capital markets and the aviation sector and has made a lasting contribution to the airline.
"I would like to thank him for his leadership and commitment and wish him all the very best for the future."
Air New Zealand said it had begun the search for a new CFO and will update the market once the appointment process is complete.
Thomson's departure comes amid turbulent times for the national carrier as it grapples with rising prices for jet fuel and a multi-million dollar first-half loss.
Air New Zealand has warned that surging global oil prices have sharply increased its jet fuel costs, recently saying its daily fuel bill has doubled as a result of the spike in prices.
In response, the airline has made a series of adjustments to its operations, including cutting flights and lifting airfares.
Earlier this month, Air New Zealand confirmed further reductions to parts of its May and June schedules and additional price increases, saying the changes were necessary to manage the elevated cost of jet fuel while maintaining network connectivity.
The airline has also reported an interim $40 million net loss after tax for the first half of the financial year, reflecting a combination of higher operating costs, ongoing fleet constraints and softer domestic demand.
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