Vipul Misra has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of SriLankan Airlines with effect from today, the Daily Mirror reported. He was previously the airline’s Head of Engineering and Accountable Manager.
Misra joined SriLankan Airlines in 2024. Hiru News reported that he has long experience in aircraft engineering and at senior management level, and that before joining the Sri Lankan carrier he worked for Indian airlines including Air India and IndiGo.
A post vacant for a year and a half
The appointment closes one of the longest senior vacancies in Sri Lankan state enterprise. The chief executive’s office has been filled in an acting capacity since March 2025 — about eighteen months.
In April, when the search had narrowed to four candidates, the Daily FT reported that more than 200 applications had been filtered down to three foreign candidates and one local one, with the final choice to go to Cabinet. The same report argued the airline would be best served by a commercial administrator with proven credentials rather than by elevating technical staff, as earlier administrations had done. Misra’s promotion from the engineering directorate runs against that recommendation.
Neither report published today states whether Misra was among the four shortlisted in April, whether Cabinet approved the appointment, or what term he has been given.
What he inherits
SriLankan reported a group loss of Rs. 2,735 million for 2024/25, and accumulated losses had passed Rs. 632 billion by August 2025, leaving the carrier technically insolvent. The government has since moved the airline to a public-private partnership model.
The airline is also operating through a severe regional disruption. Middle East airspace closures and threats to Strait of Hormuz energy supplies have pushed jet fuel costs sharply higher, and SriLankan suspended its Kuwait services in July. Separate proceedings arising from the Airbus bribery investigation continue to shadow the company.
Update, September 9 — the airline confirms it on the record
NewsFirst reported the appointment at 5:59 p.m., attributing it to SriLankan Airlines Spokesman Deepal Perera — the first named, on-the-record confirmation from the airline itself. Both earlier reports carried the appointment without saying who announced it.
Perera confirmed that Misra was Head of Engineering before the appointment and that he assumes the chief executive’s duties with effect from today. He is the carrier’s Corporate Communications Chief, and was the airline’s spokesman in July when SriLankan said global airfares had risen as much as 150 percent because of the West Asian conflict.
The airline’s own statement still does not address whether Misra was among the four candidates shortlisted in April, whether Cabinet approved the appointment, or what term he has been given.
A note on the name
Hiru News rendered the appointee’s name as “Vipula Mishra”. The Daily Mirror, NewsFirst and Ada Derana all give Vipul Misra, and LankaNewz has followed the majority spelling — now three outlets to one.
