Air New Zealand has announced that its current chief executive officer, Greg Foran, has resigned and will leave the airline on October 20, 2025. 

The airline's chair, Dame Therese Walsh, noted that Foran has indicated to the Board that he believes the airline is well-positioned to continue its trajectory of growth and innovation and that the time is right for him to take on a new challenge. 

"Greg has always displayed exceptional leadership and grit, not only guiding Air New Zealand through global aviation's most significant crisis but at the same time also maintaining the airline's tradition of innovation, strong culture, and care for our country," Walsh said of the outgoing CEO's five-year tenure.

"Perhaps his most notable contribution has been managing significant global supply chain challenges. These began with Covid-19 and continue today with the engine issues materially impacting both our Boeing and Airbus fleets. While these challenges impact our operations almost daily, [Foran's] relentless focus and global profile have been instrumental in mitigating the consequential disruptions on our customers," she added.

"As I'd expect of [Foran], he's been very generous with his notice period and will stay with Air New Zealand through to the middle of October. This allows the Board to carry out a global search for his replacement, which we will embark on immediately."

Foran, for his part, looked back on the past five years of his career with Air New Zealand.

"Leading Air New Zealand has been one of the greatest privileges of my career. It's been an incredible experience alongside an exceptional team. I'm incredibly proud of what we've achieved together and the way we’ve positioned Air New Zealand for the future."

"I am humbled by the work Air New Zealanders do every day and their extraordinary commitment to each other, our customers, and our country. Despite so many issues outside of our control, we have continued to deliver improvements to our service every day, and I'll leave later this year knowing Air New Zealand's foundations are immensely strong and its future very bright," Foran added.

"It has been an honour to serve our customers, our 11,500-strong team, and New Zealand.  I will look back on my time here with immense pride and gratitude," the outgoing Air New Zealand chief further said.