Recently appointed as acting chief executive of SriLankan Airlines, industry veteran Vipul Misra comes into the role with the airline under pressure to improve its performance.
Misra’s background spans aircraft engineering and leadership positions across commercial carriers including Air India, Vistara, Indigo, SpiceJet, Kingfisher Airlines and Air Deccan.
In a statement, SriLankan said Misra’s “comprehensive expertise across legacy, full-service, and low-cost carriers is expected to provide strong technical and operational direction during this interim period”.
The appointment comes amid SriLankan flight disruptions caused by grounded Airbus A330s and a global shortage of spare parts.
A meeting between high-level government officers and SriLankan management has focused on restructuring the airline, improving operational efficiency and restoring public trust in the national carrier.
“SriLankan Airlines can no longer be sustained as a loss-making entity,”deputy minister of civil aviation, Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku, said.
The carrier also faces fresh competition on the Australia–Sri Lanka route, with Jetstar launching three weekly services between Melbourne and Colombo. The new route gives Australian travellers a lower-cost option to SriLankan’s services.
The leadership change comes as Sri Lanka moderates its tourism ambitions for 2026, cutting its visitor target from three million to 2.7 million.