Barely a month after he took on the job, United Continental Holdings Inc’s (UAL.N) new chief executive has suffered a heart attack, said a source familiar with the matter.
United’s previous chief executive resigned while federal authorities were conducting an investigation involving the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
In a statement on Friday, the airline said Oscar Munoz, 56, had been taken to hospital on Thursday. It revealed no further details.
Shortly after joining, Munoz told employees in a letter that he would meet with as many workers as possible and “hear about operations directly from you.”
Munoz had arranged to hold a labor summit with union leaders on Thursday. Mike Klemm, head of the local branch of the International Association of Machinists, said he was informed midday Thursday that it had been put off.
A spokeswoman for United refused to comment on whether Munoz had suffered a heart attack, his condition and whether the board had been informed about his admission to the hospital. United’s failure to quickly announce Munoz’s admission to a hospital or the reason for it raised apprehensions if the company was revealing enough to investors.
Many companies, including Apple Inc and Goldman Sachs Group Inc have struggled in recent years with how to create a balance between executives’ desire for privacy and investors’ need to stay informed about the state of their health.