Air Seychelles has appointed Manoj Papa as its new Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Cramer Ball, who has tendered his resignation.
Papa joins from South African Airways, where he held the position of Acting General Manager: Commercial, overseeing the entire commercial portfolio for the airline. As part of this, he was also instrumental in developing the Long Term Turnaround Strategy for SAA.
Manoj Papa started his career with South African Airways, working across different functions including finance, and varied commercial functions in the airline including sales and distribution, sales strategy, the frequent flier program and e-commerce, as well as a period as SAA’s Regional General Manager for Asia and Australasia. He joined Etihad Airways in 2007 later serving as Vice President Corporate Strategy until he returned to South African Airways in 2012.
Ball was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles in January 2012. In his two-year tenure he successfully helped restructure and re-engineer the business with a view to achieving commercial sustainability. The turnaround program saw the introduction of a new network plan, new aircraft, new product and service initiatives, and new staff training and development opportunities. In February 2013, the airline was able to report a net profit of US$ 1 million, a remarkable turnaround after three consecutive years of losses. The year culminated in the airline receiving the prestigious four-star rating from Skytrax.
Ball will stay on to ensure a seamless transition until Papa officially assumes the position of CEO on 1 March 2014.