Alaska Names New VP Maintenance & Engineering

Don Wright. Photo credit: Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines announced that Don Wright will join as vice president of maintenance and engineering, effective Aug. 23. He will succeed Constance von Muehlen, who was promoted to COO on April 3.

Wright, who received Aviation Week’s Lifetime Achievement Award in April, retired from United Airlines in 2020 as vice president of maintenance operations. In that role, he was responsible for more than 6,500 line maintenance employees and 45 stations, as well as third-party maintenance vendors.

He had worked for United and Continental, before its merger with the former, for 31 years. He also logged 11 years with Qantas’ maintenance and engineering organization before that.

“As a forward thinker in process improvement and a fierce advocate for safety and compliance since his early days as a certificated aircraft technician, I am confident Don will support and lead the Maintenance & Engineering team to new heights,” von Muehlen said in statement.

Lee Ann Shay

As executive editor of MRO and business aviation, Lee Ann Shay directs Aviation Week's coverage of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), including Inside MRO, and business aviation, including BCA.