AUSTRALIAN EXECUTIVE Trevor Jensen has stepped down from his role as chief operating officer in Aer Lingus after less than 11 months in the role.
In an internal note to staff, which has been seen by The Irish Times, Aer Lingus chief executive Christoph Mueller said Mr Jensen was "moving by agreement" to the position of "special adviser" to the airline's safety committee.
Mr Jensen will report in this role to non-executive director Francis Hackett, who is chairman of this committee.
Mr Mueller said Mr Jensen would provide advice on “global best practices in aviation-related safety matters”.
Aer Lingus has begun the process of seeking a successor to Mr Jensen. In the meantime, Mr Mueller has assumed the responsibilities as chief operating officer.
This move will come as a surprise to many, especially as Mr Jensen has been with the airline for such a short time.
Mr Jensen will no longer be a member of Aer Lingus’s executive committee and, in this context, his change of roles is sure to be seen in some quarters as a demotion.
No reasons were given for Mr Jensen’s change of role at the airline and no comment was available from Aer Lingus yesterday.
Mr Jensen’s appointment as chief operating officer was announced by Aer Lingus in April 2010 and he took up his duties on June 1st. He replaced Niall Walsh, who left the airline in January of last year and was involved in the protracted negotiations with cabin crew and other staff on changes to work practices aimed at reducing the airline’s cost base.
Before joining Aer Lingus, Mr Jensen served as programme director for the Flight Safety Foundation and his career has covered the aviation, transportation, logistics and natural resources sectors.
He spent 25 years with Australian flag carrier Qantas, training first as a pilot and reaching the position of general manager of operations in 1996.
He was also chief operating officer at Air New Zealand/Ansett and Jetstar and head of airline operations at Qantas.
At the time of Mr Jensen’s appointment last year, Mr Mueller said he was “delighted that a person of Trevor’s calibre and experience” was joining the Irish airline.
“Trevor joins Aer Lingus at an exciting time and I wish him and all the operations team every success in driving the airline to new levels of customer service and operational excellence,” he added.