SriLankan Airlines appears headed for another significant reshuffle at the top, with newly appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer Vipul Misra taking charge while speculation grows that former Head of Flight Operations Captain Rajind Ranatunga could return to the national carrier’s senior management.
Misra, an Indian national who previously served as SriLankan Airlines’ Head of Engineering and Accountable Manager, was appointed Acting CEO with effect from September 9.
SriLankan Airlines officially confirmed that Misra brings more than two decades of aircraft engineering and aviation leadership experience, having worked with Air India, Vistara, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Kingfisher Airlines and Air Deccan.
His appointment therefore represents something of a new broom at the national carrier as it continues attempting to improve operational performance and long-term financial sustainability.
However, questions are already being raised within aviation circles about the process through which the airline’s senior appointments are being made and the degree of independence afforded to its Board.
The airline’s leadership previously informed staff that the CEO appointment had been made by the Government, according to internal communication described to The Morning Telegraph. This would be noteworthy because the recruitment and appointment of a chief executive would ordinarily involve the company’s Chairman and Board of Directors.
There has also been speculation regarding whether discussions involving senior Indian and Sri Lankan government representatives had any bearing on the appointment. The Morning Telegraph has not established evidence demonstrating such political influence, and no such connection should be inferred merely from Misra’s nationality or previous employment in India.
Patrick Fernando Reportedly Set to Depart
Meanwhile, aviation industry sources say Captain Patrick Fernando, currently SriLankan Airlines’ Chief Technical Officer and Head of Flight Operations, has tendered his resignation and is expected to leave the airline following his notice period.
The airline’s most recently available official management information continues to identify Fernando as Chief Technical Officer and Head of Flight Operations.
Attention has consequently turned to who could succeed him.
One name being strongly discussed within airline circles is Captain Rajind Ranatunga, a familiar figure within SriLankan Airlines who previously served as Head of Flight Operations.
SriLankan Airlines’ own historical records confirm that Ranatunga held that position and had spent decades with the carrier after joining as a cadet pilot in 1987.
Whether he will actually return as Chief Technical Officer, however, has yet to be officially announced by the airline.
There is also speculation that a wider operational position could be considered, although no official confirmation has been issued regarding either the title or the appointment.
Familiar Face, Familiar Questions
Ranatunga’s possible return has inevitably generated discussion among sections of SriLankan Airlines’ pilot community.
Some former and serving aviation personnel have questioned whether returning to an executive who has previously occupied a senior operational position represents the fresh management direction the financially troubled national carrier requires.
His previous period in Flight Operations was not without controversy, with operational and management decisions during that era attracting criticism from sections of the pilot community.
Those concerns, however, should be separated from speculation surrounding his possible appointment today. No appointment has yet been publicly confirmed, and any assessment of his suitability should ultimately be based on professional qualifications, regulatory requirements, management experience and the responsibilities attached to the position.
SriLankan Airlines has for years struggled not merely with aircraft availability and financial losses, but also with recurring questions surrounding governance, political involvement and senior management appointments.
That makes the latest leadership changes particularly important.
Vipul Misra represents the new broom, an executive elevated from engineering into the airline’s top management position and now tasked with helping steer SriLankan Airlines through another difficult period.
Captain Rajind Ranatunga, should the speculation surrounding his return prove correct, would represent the old broom, someone who already knows the airline, its people, its systems and, perhaps most importantly, its longstanding problems.
There is an old saying that a new broom sweeps clean, while an old broom knows where the dirt is.
SriLankan Airlines may soon have both.
The more important question is whether bringing back a familiar figure will help cure the national carrier’s longstanding headache or simply amount to changing the pillow on which that same headache has been resting.
