FLYING HIGH

It is a year of milestones for Vinod Kannan. In 2021, the aviation veteran has completed 20 years of innovation in the industry and taken on the role of Chief Commercial Officer at Vistara. He tells us how he landed here and what the pandemic has meant for flying.

“Aviation is one of those careers where you get drawn in and perhaps stay until you find something better. I didn’t, so here I still am, 20 years later,” confesses a candid Vinod Kannan, CCO, Vistara.

Originally from Bengaluru, Kannan moved to Singapore for studies at 16. He graduated as a starry-eyed engineer, with an aspiration to see the world. So, he found a job at an airline. “My first job was to work on the Singapore Airlines (SIA) website, with the e-commerce team,” he shares. In about five years of working as an engineer—and on aspects like network planning, sales, and operations—Kannan realised he enjoyed working with people more than machines. Hence, he switched lanes to become a marketing executive, and eventually rose to become SIA’s Vice President.

With years of expertise under his belt, Kannan came on board Vistara as Chief Strategy Officer two years ago. “Jet [Airways] had just collapsed. It was an opportunity for Vistara to expand, and therefore a lot of work was required on the planning and operations fronts,” he explains. By January 2020, he had transitioned to the role of Vistara’s Chief Commercial Officer, which involved overseeing three verticals—planning (where to fly, which routes to operate, how to maximise revenue); customeroriented services (including the website, branding, marketing, and loyalty programme); and B2B sales. In March 2020, then fiveyear-old Vistara made headlines for being the first Indian airline to welcome the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to its fleet. Nobody knew a pandemic was about to take over the world.

In Kannan’s words, “Every day [since the pandemic began] has been a feat.” Flights had to be removed and added at short notice; phone lines weren’t working; contingency plans had to be laid out overnight. At the same time, the airline launched flights to more international destinations than ever before. Doha, Dubai, Sharjah, Frankfurt, and London are some of the international destinations the airline now touches. Recently, Vistara has launched the Purple Ticket—a flexible e-card that can be used for flying or personal and corporate gifting. In a remarkable feat, Vistara’s share in the Indian aviation market grew from 5.6 per cent in June 2020 to 8.1 per cent in June 2021. “It shows that people have trust in the brand. That’s something we’re very happy about,” Kannan says.

At the end of the day, though, Kannan is a family man. “I have two kids, 10 and five, and they keep me on my feet. As a family, we love to travel. And like any wise man, I let my wife plan the holiday,” he smiles.

Favourite destinations: Europe, Bali, Goa On the bucket list: The Northern Lights; a cruise in Alaska or Antarctica Favourite book: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari