New Delhi: Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, on Tuesday said that the airline's chief commercial officer Vinod Kannan will replace Leslie Thng as the chief executive officer from January 1, 2022.
Leslie Thng, the CEO, after leading Vistara for more than four years will move on to take up a senior appointment with Singapore Airlines effective from January 1, 2022, the airline said in a statement.
Thng had succeeded Vistara's first CEO Phee Teik Yeoh in October 2017. Yeoh too had moved back to join a senior position at SIA after completing his four-year stint at the airline.
Kannan is currently serving as Vistara's CCO. He joined the airline in June 2019 as chief strategy officer and currently heads amongst others network planning, revenue management, marketing, customer experience and cabin crew functions.
"Leslie has led the airline through a significant phase, with the start of international operations and the entry into service of various aircraft including the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Vinod will lead Vistara in its next phase of growth, building on the strong foundation laid by Leslie. This company continues to benefit from the strong commitment of the two partners Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines to Vistara, " said Vistara's chairman, Bhaskar Bhat.
TATA SIA Airlines Limited or Vistara, is a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA). According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation data, in June 2021, Vistara managed to catch up to 8.1 per cent of the Indian aviation market from 5.6 per cent during the same period last year. However, the airline hasn't reported annual profits since it started operations in 2015.
Last month, Vistara managed to secure the US government licence to operate international flights. The US is the fourt long-haul destination after London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, all taking off in a span of less than a year, despite a subdued travel demand and restrictions due to COVID-19.
The new post will be challenging for the Kannan as the company need to generate revenues after the consecutive losses, due to restriction on air travel amid the pandemic, said industry experts. Vistara currently has a fleet of 48 aircraft-- 37 Airbus A320; three Airbus A321neo; six Boeing 737-800NG; and two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
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