Fly91 appoints former Jazeera Airways deputy CEO as President & COO

Mumbai: Regional carrier Fly91 on Thursday announced the appointment of aviation veteran and former Jazeera Airways deputy CEO Krishnan Balakrishnan as President & Chief Operating Officer.

The Goa-headquartered airline also said it has brought on board former FSTC Chief Financial and Operating Officer Jitendra Kushwaha as CFO.

At FLY91, Balakrishnan will lead the airline's day-to-day operations, drive operational excellence across the organisation and work closely with aircraft manufacturers and strategic partners to support the airline's continued expansion. Kushwaha will oversee finance, administration and procurement, supporting the airline's growth strategy and long-term objectives, Fly91 said.


Both executives will report directly to Founder, Managing Director and CEO Manoj Chacko and will be part of the airline's core leadership team, it said.

These appointments follow the company's measured expansion across southern and western India, with the airline presently operating across 12 destinations in its growing regional network, it said.

"As we prepare for our next phase of growth, we welcome Krishnan and Jitendra to our leadership team. Their depth of experience, proven leadership and shared commitment to excellence will be invaluable to the airline," said Chacko.

Balakrishnan brings more than three decades of experience across the global aviation industry. He joins FLY91 from Jazeera Airways, Kuwait, where he spent eight years and most recently served as Deputy CEO.

Prior to that, he was Chief Financial Officer at GoAir and also held several senior leadership positions at Jet Airways and Transwest Helicopters in Canada.

Jitendra Kushwah joins FLY91 from FSTC, where he was part of the founding leadership team and served as Chief Financial & Operating Officer. He has previously held senior finance leadership positions at SpiceJet, IndiGo and The Oberoi Group and holds over three decades of experience in financial management, corporate governance and strategic planning, the airline said.

The appointments reinforce FLY91's focus on building a strong leadership team as the airline continues to expand its regional footprint, grow its fleet and strengthen connectivity between India's emerging regional centres, it stated.

FLY91 currently operates a growing regional network spanning 12 destinations over 280 weekly flights, across India, connecting Goa (Manohar International Airport, Mopa), Hyderabad, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Sindhudurg, Jalgaon, Solapur, Pune, Bengaluru, Hubballi, Agatti in the Lakshadweep Islands and Kochi.