United Airlines COO Greg Hart is stepping down from his position to focus on "critical medium and long-term issues" at the airline, CEO Scott Kirby said in a letter to employees on Wednesday.
In the letter, Kirby said Hart had indicated last year that he wished to retire but would spend the next 12 to 18 months to groom a successor. As of June 1, that successor will be current SVP of airport and network operations Jon Roitman, who will be taking charge of flights operations, technical operations and safety in addition to his current responsibilities, Kirby said.
Hart, meanwhile, will turn his attention to issues related to safety, hygiene and operating efficiency as well as developing a flexible cost structure. The carrier earlier this month said it was preparing for "extremely painful"actions should demand not begin to rebound for the rest of this year.
"Demand could be down 30 percent, or it could be down 70 percent," Kirby said in the letter. "The way to best survive this crisis is to be able to nimbly adjust the size of the airline, including labor costs, to meet demand, and importantly, be ready to bounce back quickly when the virus is defeated."