Philippine Airlines president and COO Capt. Stanley K. Ng, a seasoned pilot and one of PeopleAsia’s Men Who Matter 2022 awardees, makes history as the first PAL president to serve as pilot-in-command of a presidential flight, flying President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and the official Philippine delegation from Manila to Phnom Penh and back to attend recent ASEAN 2022 summit.
It was one of those special moments in history: A president-pilot flying the President of the Republic on a mission for the nation.
Last week, Philippine Airlines (PAL) president and COO Capt. Stanley K. Ng was the pilot-in-command of the PAL flight that carried President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and the official Philippine delegation to Phnom Penh, Cambodia for the ASEAN 2022 Summit.
Ng, one of PeopleAsia magazine’s Men Who Matter 2022 awardees, is the first active pilot to serve as the top executive of the flag carrier since the 1960s, having ascended to the PAL presidency after an 18-year career in the airline.
But last November 9, he took on the unique responsibility of flying the country’s commander-in-chief for the two-and-a-half hour journey from Manila to Cambodia’s capital city.
“It is an honor and a privilege for me and my crew to serve as the pilots of this presidential flight, and I am truly grateful for the trust and confidence,” said Ng. “We were 100 percent dedicated to making sure the president and his team had a safe and pleasant journey. This was another opportunity to be of service to the nation by flying the flag on an important mission.”
Assisting Ng in the flight deck of Flight PR 001 were Capt. Antonio Salgado Jr. and Capt. Gallardo Ibarra Jr., while pursers Monique Francois Gloria and Aimee Vijandre headed the crew of seven flight attendants.
Asked by PeopleAsia how he felt while flying the president to Phnom Penh, Ng said, “[I’m] Very honored to be able to serve our country and the president.”
The presidential flight departed at 5:15 p.m. on November 9 from NAIA Terminal 2. While in the air en route to Cambodia, President Marcos conducted interviews with the media traveling with him onboard.
PR001 touched down at the Phnom Penh International Airport at 6:47 p.m. Cambodian local time.
The president attended his first ASEAN leaders summit and met with heads of the ASEAN member states and other partner-countries while in Phnom Penh.
Flying home on November 13, the presidential delegation departed from Phnom Penh at 8:46 p.m. local time, once again with Ng and his crew in command, and arrived in Manila at 12:14 a.m.
Ng joined the airline in 2003 as an airport customer relations staffer. He then took his Ab Initio Cadet Pilot training at the PAL aviation school and joined the pilot roster as a second officer in 2006. He rose through the ranks, eventually serving as chief pilot of the PAL Airbus A320/A321 fleet.
Ng joined the flag carrier’s top management team as senior vice president of the operations group before his appointment to the position of president and COO of PAL in January 2022.
PAL has been flying Philippine presidents on overseas journeys since the first state mission carrying President Elpidio Quirino in August 1949.
Ng, or Captain Stan as he is affectionately called by PAL insiders, makes history as the first PAL president to serve as pilot in command of a presidential flight.
