From Hands-On to a Bird’s Eye View: How Starting from the Bottom Helped PAL President and COO Stanley Ng Lead with a Clear Vision

We trace the rise of Captain Stanley Ng, President and Chief Operating Officer of Philippine Airlines, and how he is charting the future for the national carrier.

Today, at the helm of Philippine Airlines as President and Chief Operating Officer is the much-celebrated Captain Stanley Ng. He is the youngest President of Philippine Airlines (PAL), having been appointed to the position in 2022 at the age of 44. He is also a licensed commercial pilot, making him the first pilot to be president of PAL since 1963. While lauded for historical firsts, Captain Stanley Ng is charged with the future of the national carrier. His job? To navigate it out of the turbulent pandemic years and its aftermath and chart a new tomorrow for its over 6,461 employees, all its shareholders, and the nation itself.

The Business Manual spoke to Captain Stanley Ng on the tarmac of Ninoy Aquino International Airport under the wings of a long-range Airbus A321Neo. Between the roar of airplanes taking off and landing, the President and COO of PAL tells us about the remarkable journey he has been through, his early days as a part of PAL ground staff, his experience as a pilot and his sojourn into the uncharted territory of senior management. What lessons can entrepreneurs learn from his journey?

From Turbulent Years to Blue Skies

Since its founding in 1939, Philippine Airlines, which proudly calls itself Asia’s First Airline, has seen both golden times and years of turbulence. One such period of turbulence was the recent COVID-19 pandemic, when commercial travel practically ground to a halt. While PAL continued its cargo operations and played an important role in transporting vaccines, its business inevitably took a financial hit. The company was forced to file for Chapter 11 financial restructuring in September of 2021.

Four months later, PAL emerged from its financial restructuring with new financing from shareholders. And the next year, in 2022, the airline appointed a new President from its own ranks, Captain Stanley Ng, who previously held the position of Senior Vice President for Airline Operations.

Emerging from the difficult years of the pandemic, PAL is “in a much better place.” Restrictions have been lifted, and flights have once again resumed. With Ng at the helm, he is leading PAL not just to a return to blue skies, but to an ambitious future for the airline. Aware of the rich history and heritage of Philippine Airlines, Ng has set his sights high, saying, “We want to have that status back: One of the best airlines in the world.” To that end, in 2023, the company purchased nine Airbus A350-1000 long-haul airplanes to futureproof its fleet and bolster its expansion plans. This is all only the beginning.

Takeoff

If you had told Captain Stanley Ng early in his career that he would be president of PAL, he would probably not have believed you.

“That was never part of the plan,” he says candidly.

After graduating from La Salle-College of Saint Benilde with a degree in Business Administration Major in Computer Applications, Stanley Ng began his career in Philippine Airlines as part of the ground staff at the airport. But Ng was always ready to do more. Coming from Filipino-Chinese descent, he is fluent in Mandarin, Fookien and Cantonese, which led him to also serve as an interpreter to Chinese passengers.

In 2004, Ng once again set his sights higher, entering the Philippine Airlines aviation school. And by 2006, he began flying as a second officer. “That's where we all started flying in the Philippine Airlines,” Ng explains. “It's basically flying long haul as navigator and radio operator in flight.”

Stanley Ng soon rose through the ranks, becoming first officer in 2007 and making captain in 2015. Now a seasoned pilot, he also became chief instructor pilot for the Airbus A320.

“I designed syllabus,” he says of his time as an instructor. “I [would] do some training scenarios and train all these pilots of the division at that time.

“And shortly, maybe after two and a half years, [there arose] some vacuum in the management. So I was promoted to be the chief pilot for the Airbus narrow-body division as well.”

By February 2019, Ng was tasked to be the head of operations for Philippine Airlines, a position where he oversaw the pilots, the cabin crew, aircraft engineering, as well as airport operations. He spent three years as Senior Vice President for Airline Operations, a management position would prepare him for leadership at the very top.

Three years later, Stanley Ng was appointed as the president of Philippine Airlines. 

Facing the Challenge

As the new president of the national carrier, Ng admits being intimidated by the task at hand. “When I started,” he says, “it's kind of daunting because the job… it's carrying the flag.”

Despite this, he rose to face the challenge. Ng attributes his success to relationships he built over his two decades at PAL.

“The people and also, of course, the shareholders, they supported me so well,” he says. “That's the reason why it made the job so much easier.”

Speaking about PAL’s recovery after the pandemic, Ng also credits the support PAL received from the government. He says, “And then luckily also, [we were] almost out of the pandemic that time. In the beginning, it was difficult, but eventually, we were able to talk to government agencies and [they were] very supportive. [I’m] really grateful for all the support from various stakeholders to make our flag carrier.”

Inside Man

Stanley Ng, of course, is a homegrown PAL manager, not an outsider who came to the airline to fix its problems. In many ways, as Senior Vice President for Airline Operations, he had expertise in the operations of the airline, even during the pandemic years.

“Even during the pandemic,” he explains, “I was already the head of operations. We have been mounting those repatriation flights and all the protocols.”

Speaking about some of the challenges PAL faced during the time, he says, “Different countries have different protocols. [It was] really, really challenging and [involved] constant updating. Even the pilots, we had so many issues because, of course, only limited flights were being operated at that time.”

Ng sees leading the airline as a former pilot, former ground crew, and former instructor as an advantage.

He says, “I would say [leading PAL] is way easier if you're an organic personnel of Philippine Airlines. Because people already know how you work, the way you think, the way you interact with them. I would say that really makes all the difference because they can approach you. They know what type of a person you are.

“You're always open to new ideas. You don't shut them down. You're approachable.

“I think that really makes all the difference. Rather than someone coming from outside, to get to know each and everyone, it's already a big task. What's more is asking them to support you and follow the direction that the shareholders and the company want to go.”