Key Commercial Aviation Executives To Watch In 2024

Whitaker hit the ground running when he stepped into the FAA’s top job in mid-November. The position had not been filled by a permanent, congressionally confirmed leader in nearly 18 months. He inherited a safety call-to-action launched earlier in 2023 that pledges to stop incident event chains before they become headline-grabbing risks. Although his air traffic control ranks have been short-staffed for a decade or so, several aspiring U.S.-based electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing startups are aiming to get their aircraft certified and out them into passenger service during Whitaker’s planned five-year tenure. All this is on top of the day-to-day goings-on inside global aviation’s most important regulatory body—the one overseeing the most airlines, aircraft and manufacturers as well as a blossoming commercial space sector. Whitaker, a former FAA senior official and longtime U.S. airline executive, is seen by many in the industry as the right person at the right time to steady the FAA and keep it moving forward. He will not run short of opportunities to justify their faith.

Stability, reliability and dependability—this is what Shanahan is pledging to help Spirit Aero­Systems produce, through making and delivering key parts for major Boeing and Airbus programs on time and on budget. Considering Spirit’s recent past, that will be a tall order. A spate of shop-floor missteps led to thousands of Boeing 737 and 787 subassemblies going out the door wrong, triggering costly rework plans and—worst of all—major delays in delivering finished aircraft to customers. Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, plans to focus on the company’s core customers and competencies, emphasizing execution over diversification. On the job since Sept. 30, he has already made several senior leadership changes as part of his plan. Whether his changes make a difference in Spirit’s factories and on its balance sheet will be among the more closely watched supply chain items over the next year or so.

Announcing a second merger agreement in less than a decade, Alaska Airlines has set its sights on further expansion of an already robust network. In December, the airline agreed to buy Hawaiian Airlines for $1.9 billion, and it plans to maintain both brands in a nod to each airline’s long history. In 2024, Minicucci, who will be CEO of the combined group, has to work toward regulatory approvals and prepare integration plans. Appointed to the helm in March 2021 after more than 15 years at the carrier, Minicucci has maintained a strong balance sheet while navigating challenging post-pandemic years amid shifting demand, labor shortages and rising fuel costs exacerbated by West Coast refining margins.

Shortly after Erginbilgic became CEO of Rolls-Royce at the beginning of 2023, he de­scribed his new employer as a “burning plat­form”—and its large exposure to a long-suffering long-haul market made an already difficult situation much worse. In the year since then, Erginbilgic has moved swiftly to try to extinguish the fire. Rolls-Royce started to renegotiate unfavorable service contracts and raise prices, while at the same time cutting even more positions. His most important strategic target: returning to the narrowbody market to work with a partner on an engine based on Ultra­Fan technology. Also on the agenda is fixing durability issues on the Trent XWB-97 engine, a problem recently highlighted by Emirates Airline’s refusal to order Airbus A350-­­1000s powered by the Rolls-­­Royce engine.

Andries, Safran’s outspoken CEO, gladly shares his views on industry-shaping trends. In 2024, his perspective on how fluctuating energy prices are affecting the sector will be heard. He has been postponing a decision to create a brake factory, exerting pressure on French authorities for a guaranteed price. On the engine side, CFM International—Safran’s joint venture with GE—may show the first components or test model of the RISE open-fan demonstrator. As for Safran Cabin and Safran Seats, their position in the group has been at stake, and Andries may want to dispose of them if he can find a buyer.

Riyadh Air took its first steps toward becoming an airline in 2023, placing an order for 40 Boeing 787-9s and hiring a senior executive team. But Douglas will have his hands full throughout the year ahead as he and others begin preparing the new Saudi carrier for the planned start of commercial services in mid-2025. Most important, Riyadh Air must obtain its air operator certificate in 2024. Also on the agenda: buying narrowbody aircraft to complement the long-haul fleet and driving airport infrastructure improvements at its home base in Riyadh that will allow it to base a larger fleet there over time.

Hudson, the new chief executive of Australia’s flag carrier, will be under plenty of scrutiny in 2024. She took over from previous CEO Alan Joyce in September, two months earlier than planned due to mounting political and regulatory pressure on the carrier. Qantas is facing a court case brought by regulators over ticket sales practices in the post-pandemic period, and Hudson has a lot of work to do to restore the carrier’s public image after this and other recent controversies.

Cho will be overseeing Korean Air’s continuing efforts to win approval for its proposed merger with Asiana Airlines in 2024. While the carrier has gained clearance from multiple authorities in South Korea and overseas, Korean Air still needs approval for the deal in the key U.S., Euro­pean Union and Japanese markets. Finalizing the takeover of Asiana would be a notable achievement.