The Philippine unit of Southeast Asia’s largest airline appointed a former executive of PLDT Inc. as its new chief executive.
AirAsia appointed former PLDT Global Corp. head Ricardo Isla as the new CEO of AirAsia Philippines, replacing Capt. Dexter Comendador.
Comendador, meanwhile, was appointed as chief operations officer of AirAsia Philippines.
Isla is joining AirAsia after more than a decade of international product development, sales and distribution experience with PLDT Global Corp.
Isla headed PLDT Global’s operations for the United Kingdom and Europe. He also held general manager positions in PLDT’s international retail business in the US, Italy, and Singapore.
“I am thrilled to welcome Ricky to our senior leadership team. Ricky has an outstanding track record of leading and transforming businesses, especially when it comes to increasing revenue and market share, customer satisfaction and employee engagement. Together with his telecommunications background and global experience, we are confident he will provide the right foundation to steer AirAsia Philippines to even greater heights,” AirAsia Philippines chairman Marianne Hontiveros said.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Captain Dexter Comendador for playing such a crucial part of AirAsia’s growth story in the Philippines. The board and I are confident that his love of people and exceptional flying acumen will prove extremely beneficial to our operations, and we look forward to continuing our work with him as AirAsia Philippines chief operations officer,” Hontiveros said.
Bo Lingam, AirAsia deputy group chief executive said Isla’s appointment as CEO “comes at a time when low-cost carrier growth in the Philippines hits an all-time high.”
“AirAsia is on the cusp of developing something really special for Filipinos, and I’m confident that under Ricky’s guidance we will be in the best position to up the ante on our mission to further revolutionize affordable air travel in the Philippines. I want to thank Captain Dexter for his contribution as CEO, and ongoing dedication to our Allstars in the Philippines,” Lingam said.
Isla graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University with a Bachelor of Science and Business Management and holds advanced management qualifications from the Asian Institute of Management.
AirAsia Philippines operates a fleet of 24 aircraft on more than 500 weekly domestic and international flights from its hubs in Manila, Clark, Cebu, and Kalibo.