As rumored last week (Star Flyer's President Shinichi Yonehara to step down.), Star Flyer on February 28th announced that Shinichi Yonehara is resigning from his role as President of the Kitakyushu (KKJ/RJFR)-based airline on March 31st. An All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA) veteran and former head of IBEX Airlines' (FW/IBX) Department for Risk Management Sadami Matsuishi is expected to succeed his position.
Star Flyer is expected to post a whopping 3.3 billion JPY loss for fiscal year 2013. Mr. Yonehara told during the press conference that he made the decision on his own, and that it was approved at a Board of Directors' meeting in February. "It's our first loss since we started operations, but a big one. 80 employees had to leave the company (as part of a restructuring plan to reduce costs) and I feel painful. I felt I need to take responsibility", he added. Mr. Yonehara is expected to remain with the carrier until at least June as Advisor, a ceremonial position. Meanwhile, Makoto Takahashi, Associate Senior Corporate Executive Officer, will be Acting President until the new leader is installed.
60-year-old Mr. Matsuishi started his career with ANA in 1975 and eventually became ANA Operations Director. During his tenure, he was also briefly Vice President at Skynet Asia Airways (6J/SNJ) (d.b.a. Solaseed Air), and from March 2012 has been with IBEX Airlines, also an ANA feeder carrier. ANA Holdings currently owns 17.96% of Star Flyer, and effective March 30th, all services will code-share with ANA. It joins AIRDO (HD/ADO) (d.b.a. Air Do) (now 14% controlled by ANA) and Solaseed Air (now 12% controlled by ANA), which along with Star Flyer were new entrants born after deregulation to challenge the ANA/JAL duopoly, in becoming merely a feeder carrier for ANA. Skymark Airlines (BC/SKY) is now the only post-deregulation homegrown carrier truly independent from the mighty two.
Source: Yomiuri Shimbun, February 28th. (in Japanese)
Source: Aviation Wire, February 28th. (in Japanese)
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| Airbus A320-214 JA05MC 'City of Kitakyushu' taxiing in the Haneda morning sun. (Photo: Ryosuke Yano) |
Star Flyer is expected to post a whopping 3.3 billion JPY loss for fiscal year 2013. Mr. Yonehara told during the press conference that he made the decision on his own, and that it was approved at a Board of Directors' meeting in February. "It's our first loss since we started operations, but a big one. 80 employees had to leave the company (as part of a restructuring plan to reduce costs) and I feel painful. I felt I need to take responsibility", he added. Mr. Yonehara is expected to remain with the carrier until at least June as Advisor, a ceremonial position. Meanwhile, Makoto Takahashi, Associate Senior Corporate Executive Officer, will be Acting President until the new leader is installed.
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| Mr. Yonehara (right) and Mr. Takahashi (left). (Photo: Aviation Wire) |
60-year-old Mr. Matsuishi started his career with ANA in 1975 and eventually became ANA Operations Director. During his tenure, he was also briefly Vice President at Skynet Asia Airways (6J/SNJ) (d.b.a. Solaseed Air), and from March 2012 has been with IBEX Airlines, also an ANA feeder carrier. ANA Holdings currently owns 17.96% of Star Flyer, and effective March 30th, all services will code-share with ANA. It joins AIRDO (HD/ADO) (d.b.a. Air Do) (now 14% controlled by ANA) and Solaseed Air (now 12% controlled by ANA), which along with Star Flyer were new entrants born after deregulation to challenge the ANA/JAL duopoly, in becoming merely a feeder carrier for ANA. Skymark Airlines (BC/SKY) is now the only post-deregulation homegrown carrier truly independent from the mighty two.
Source: Yomiuri Shimbun, February 28th. (in Japanese)
Source: Aviation Wire, February 28th. (in Japanese)
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