Aviation news international -Reports have begun to emerge that veteran aviation executive Sanjiv Kapoor has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Arabian low-cost carrier flyadeal. The news comes as the airline approaches six years of operations, with its revenue-earning flights having first taken off back on September 23rd, 2017.
Well-acquainted with the aviation industry
As the aviation industry looks to navigate the calm but still somewhat uncertain waters of the post-pandemic era, wise and experienced heads are required in order to keep airlines sailing in the right direction. Experience is certainly a quality that Kapoor has in abundance, having started his aviation career 25 years ago.
According to his LinkedIn page, Kapoor’s first role at an airline was the position of Senior Manager at Northwest Airlines in the US, which he held from 1998 to 2004. After a spell away from the world of commercial aviation, he returned to the industry when he was named the CEO of Bangladesh’s GMG Airlines.
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Kapoor’s career in the aviation industry then took him to India, where he served as the CEO of SpiceJet from 2013 to 2015 and the Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer of Vistara from 2016 to 2019. Most recently in India, he was the CEO-designate at Jet Airways, but, as Mint notes, he left that role earlier this year.
Moving from flyadeal’s parent company
Upon Kapoor’s departure from Jet Airways, his work in the aviation industry moved from India to Saudi Arabia, as he took on the role of Advisor to the Director General at Saudia in May this year. As The Morning Context notes, flyadeal is the Saudi flag carrier’s low-cost subsidiary, so Kapoor’s latest move makes good sense.
According to the Hindu Business Line, his appointment as the Chief Executive Officer of flyadeal was initially announced yesterday on an internal basis, with Kapoor reportedly declining to comment on the matter. Needless to say, his previous role at Saudia will stand him in good stead for this next challenge, as his (admittedly brief) time at the airline will likely have informed him well about flyadeal.
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This changing of the guard marks a watershed moment for flyadeal. After all, as the Hindu Business Line notes, the outgoing CEO that Kapoor is replacing, Con Korfiatis, had been in the role since the Saudi Arabian low-cost carrier commenced operations. Nonetheless, the airline will be hoping that, despite his departure, Kapoor will be able to further the growth fostered during Korfiatis’ tenure.
flyadeal in a nutshell
For those unfamiliar with flyadeal, the six-year-old airline operates low-cost flights out of its hub at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED). According to data from ch-aviation.com, its fleet consists of 14 Airbus A320-200 and 18 A320neo aircraft, which operate 34 routes that serve 20 destinations in five countries. Last year, flyadeal operated Saudi Arabia’s first flight with an all-female crew.
What do you make of this appointment? Have you ever flown with flyadeal? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
Sources: ch-aviation.com, Hindu Business Line, LinkedIn, Mint, The Morning Context