He replaces Capt. Stanley Ng, who served as PAL’s president during the busy “revenge travel” surge in the post-pandemic era. PAL’s executive vice president, lawyer Carlos Luis Fernandez, will remain with the airline, an insider said.
Nuttall’s appointment at PAL was first reported by the Inquirer and Philippine Star.
Nuttall, who left his post as CEO of SriLankan Airlines, has a prior history with the Filipino carrier, having served as PAL’s senior commercial adviser in the wake of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1999.
He also held senior corporate roles in global carrier such as Royal Jordanian (chief commercial and strategy officer), Bahrain Air (CEO), and Saudi Airlines (vice president-sales).
The move follows changes to the Public Service Act in 2022, which lifted restrictions on foreign executives in key sectors like aviation.
Cebu Pacific made a similar shift earlier, appointing British-born Mike Szucs as CEO in 2023.
Miguel R. Camus has been a reporter covering various domestic business topics since 2009.
