New chief executive for Air Seychelles |29 January 2014

South African Manoj Papa is the new chief executive of Air Seychelles, succeeding Cramer Ball who has tendered his resignation.

Home Affairs and Transport Minister Joël Morgan, who is also the chairman of Air Seychelles, made this announcement at the Seychelles International Airport VIP lounge yesterday morning in the presence of Air Seychelles board members, the airline’s top management team and members of the media.

Mr Papa joins Air Seychelles 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.

Welcoming the appointment of Mr Papa to run the national airline, Minister Morgan said: “Manoj Papa is an experienced airline professional and strategist with the credentials to lead Air Seychelles in the next phase of its development.  With our new routes, new aircraft on order and new service offer now across the network, we are in a stronger position than we have ever been.”

Mr 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 programme 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.

“I’m delighted and honoured to be the new chief executive of Air Seychelles. I thank Minister Morgan and all the board members for putting their trust in me. I’m sure Air Seychelles can deal with any challenge that will come its way and my main target is to make this airline move forward,” said Mr Papa.

James Hogan, president and chief executive of Etihad Airways, also welcomed Mr Papa’s appointment, saying: “During his five years with Etihad Airways, Manoj played an important role in developing and implementing our long-term growth strategy and I am delighted to welcome him back into the wider Etihad Airways family. The insight which Manoj has into our business and strategic model will be crucial in ensuring the continuity of our commitment to the ongoing success and growth at Air Seychelles.”

Mr Ball was appointed as Air Seychelles chief executive in January 2012 and in his two-year tenure he successfully helped restructure and re-engineer the business with a view to achieving commercial sustainability.

The turnaround programme 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.

“I put on record our grateful thanks to Cramer Ball who has been instrumental in revitalising our national carrier and setting the company on an exciting new path to growth. Cramer was seconded to Air Seychelles in January 2012 as part of a partnership in which Etihad Airways acquired 40 percent of our airline and secured a five-year management contract. He took us into profitability in his first year of leadership and has rebuilt the foundations of this proud airline, introducing new aircraft, new routes, new standards of service and new opportunities for the airline’s employees. We wish him well for the future,” said Minister Morgan.

He added that Mr Papa takes over from Mr Ball as part of the five-year contract Air Seychelles has with equity partner Etihad Airways and that the national airline has been giving training to potential  Seychellois who can take on the post in the future.

Mr Ball said he was honoured to have had the opportunity to be part of the Air Seychelles family, and to work with and lead such a dedicated team of people.

“I am considering a number of career options, and would hope to be in a position to provide an update in the near future,” he said.

“Given this situation, I am resigning to be fair to both the business and to the staff who have supported me, in order to enable a comprehensive hand-over and a smooth transition to the next chief executive, but will remain with the airline until late in February, when we present the full year financial results to the board,” said Mr Ball.

He added that the progress of Air Seychelles in two years is testament to the commitment of the employees and the support and trust of the government.

“We have not only turned around the airline, but we have created the foundations for a very bright future for our staff and future generations of Seychellois. Now is the right time for me to move on and take on a new challenge,” said Mr Ball.  

“I will be forever grateful for the very warm welcome, support and friendship shown to me by the people of Seychelles. I would also like to recognise the incredible vision shown by President James Michel for laying the foundations of Air Seychelles, and the unwavering support, commitment, foresight and passion of my chairman, Minister Morgan, in working with me and my team to turn around Air Seychelles and create a strong business with a bright future,” said Mr Ball.

Mr Ball will stay on to ensure a seamless transition until Mr Papa officially assumes the position of chief executive on March 1, 2014.