New Pacific Airways CEO Rob McKinney quits amid leadership tensions

Rob McKinney parted ways as CEO of airline startups New Pacific Airways and Ravn Alaska on July 1, 2024. The departure was effective immediately. The departure was cited as McKinney not sharing the forward vision of the ownership and chairman. According to a source familiar with the matter, McKinney was ""done"" with the airlines and the chairman of the company. The chairman of New Pacific Airlines is entrepreneur and Bitcoin investor Josh Jones. Jones made headlines in 2020 after purchasing the Playboy mansion from Playboy Enterprise CEO Ben Kohn. During his tenure, McKinney had pulled Ravn from bankruptcy in 2020 after joining that same year. ""It has been an amazing journey to be part of the resurrection of Ravn from bankruptcy and to experience the rare opportunity of launching America's latest Part 121 airline,"" said McKinney. Part 121 certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants authority to airlines for scheduled air service. New Pacific Airways received its 121 certificate in 2023. The struggling startup airline was set to operate routes between the US and Asia through Alaska's Anchorage before it announced in April 2024 it would end its scheduled flights and focus on charter operations. Meanwhile, Ravn Alaska serves small communities in Alaska, US with its primary hub in Anchorage. It has a fleet 1900Ds. New Pacific Airways has a fleet of four 757 aircraft. ""Our partnership with Boeing and collaborations with other remarkable companies and individuals around the world brought our vision to life,"" added McKinney. ""However, there comes a time in life when you just don't see eye to eye. Bringing an airline to life is a team effort, and I owe most of the credit to the amazing team that achieved what seemed like the impossible."" New Pacific Airways/Ravn Alaska will be led by its new CEO Tom Hsieh, president of parent company FLOAT Alaska and entrepreneur. He is also president of FLOAT's FlyCoin: a loyalty programme for the travel industry built on cryptocurrency. According to his LinkedIn, it appears to be his first experience as an airline executive. He obtained a bachelor's in physics at Harvey Mudd College in 1993. Jones also attended the same college, gaining a bachelor's in mathematics and computer science in 1998. Tom Hsieh, Rob McKinney, and Arnel Guiang co-founded FLOAT Shuttle in 2018. McKinney and Hsieh went on to form FLOAT Alaska along with Jones. A spokesperson for FLOAT Shuttle said: ""With Rob McKinney's separation from the airline, Tom Hsieh has been appointed CEO of New Pacific Airlines, providing a continuity of leadership and management. Josh and Tom remain committed to the vision of New Pacific Airlines and are grateful for the amazing team members at New Pacific who are operating and building a great airline."" ""It has been an honour to work with such a dedicated and talented team. Our shared achievements are a testament to their hard work and commitment,"" McKinney added. ""While our paths diverge here, I remain immensely proud of what we have accomplished together and look forward to the future."" McKinney has both training and experience in piloting commercial aircraft as well as previously serving as CEO of Mokulele Airlines. FLOAT Shuttle and New Pacific Airways have yet to respond to requests for comment.