Air N.Z. names its new deputy chief

Press, 12 May 1981, Page 6

Air N.Z. names its new deputy chief

PA Auckland Air New Zealand's general manager of airline operations, Captain A. C. Kenning, has been appointed deputy to the acting chief executive, Mr J. B. Wisdom. The airline’s board announced the appointment last evening and at the same time said that it intended to invite applications for the appointment of a permanent chief executive ■ from both within and outside the company. The position .will soon be advertised in New Zealand and overseas. . However, it is seen as being extremely unlikely that either Mr Wisdom or Mr Kenning will put, themselves forward for the permanent position. , E ?;; Mr Wisdom’s present appointment is seen only as a temporary measure —

between six and nine months — and Mr Kenning said last evening that he believed a man younger than he should be appointed chief executive. Mr Wisdom, who turned 60 last year, is expected to retire later this year. Mr Kenning, who is also 60, believes that he might stay on for another two or three years, but will not apply for the top position. According to the board announcement Mr Kenning will, for the present, devote his attentions to the supervision of the flight operations division of the airline, the department which received much criticism in the report on the DCIO crash on Mount Erebus.

Mr Kenning has had 45 years in commercial and military aviation. After joining Cook Strait Airways in 1936 he served with the

Royal New Zealand Air Force before joining Union Airways as a pilot in 1946. The next year he transferred to the national Airways Corporation.

He held several flight operations appointments with N.A.C., culminating with the position of general manager of airline operations with the merger of N.A.C. and Air New Zealand.

The shuffle in the top jobs comes after the resignation of the present chief executive, Mr M. R. Davis, who last week announced his re-, tirement in the aftermath of the crash report.