Singapore Airlines, the world’s second-largest airline by market value, said it’s considering several candidates for chief executive officer as incumbent Chew Choon Seng nears the end of his contract.

“The board has been engaged in the process of looking for a successor and we are on schedule,” Chairman Stephen Lee said in Singapore today. The company has looked at “several” candidates, both within and outside the company, Lee said.

 

Chew, who has been in charge since 2003, said today he should “move on.” His current contract expires in December.

 

“It’s at the mercy of the board, but I am getting on in years,” Chew said after a shareholders meeting in the city.

 

The airline yesterday reported its third consecutive quarterly profit amid a revival in travel demand.