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Canadian ULCC Flair has named a former Delta Air Lines executive as its CFO, the latest senior management change at the airline.
Sumanth Rao assumed the position Aug. 18 after spending 16 years at Delta in senior financial roles, most recently as CFO of Delta Vacations.
Rao’s appointment occurs after Stephen Jones retired as Flair’s CEO in late June after four years as the airline’s top manager. The company’s COO Maciej Wilk is serving as Flair’s interim president and CEO.
Flair’s changes in upper management are occurring as a pair of fellow Canadian carriers have faltered. ULCC Lynx Air folded in late February and Jetlines ceased operations on Aug. 15 with the intention to file for creditor protection. Jetlines said it had pursued all available financing options but was unable to obtain the financing required to continue operations.
After Jetlines’ decision to end service, Wilk wrote in a social media post that Jetlines’ closure is “a sobering reminder of the challenges that face airlines committed to fair competition” in Canada.
Lynx blamed rising operating costs, high fuel prices, increasing airport charges and a difficult economic and regulatory environment for its decision to end service just shy of its two-year anniversary.
After many planned iterations, Jetlines launched in September 2022 and operated Airbus A320s. Earlier in 2024, the airline announced it was wet leasing two aircraft to Air Arabia Maroc from mid-June to mid-September, with former CEO Eddy Doyle saying the move solidified Jetlines’ position as a premier provider of tailored aviation solutions.
Prior to Jetlines ceasing operations, Canada’s Competition Bureau launched a study examining the country’s domestic air passenger sector.
While welcoming that study, Flair concluded competitors have employed various tactics “to stifle low-cost competition and the government’s response has been disappointing.”
Wilk emphasized the need for slot allocations at the country’s major hubs in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal to be managed by a “neutral third party rather than by the airports themselves,” which, he argued, may have set agendas.
Flair accounts for nearly 10% of Canada’s domestic available seat miles, according to CAPA data for the week of Aug. 19. Air Canada is the leader with a 44% share followed by WestJet at 31% and Porter at 11%.
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