Thng, 50, joined SIA in 1999. Photo: SIA

According to a May 16 announcement, Thng will continue to report to SIA CEO Goh Choon Phong and the Board of Budget Aviation Holdings, the holding company of Scoot, SIA’s low-cost carrier subsidiary.

Thng, 50, joined SIA in 1999 and served as senior vice president, sales and marketing. He served as CEO of SIA’s former regional carrier SilkAir from August 2012 to May 2016, and as chief commercial officer of Scoot from May 2016 to October 2017.

Later, he served as the CEO of Vistara, SIA’s joint venture in India with Tata Sons, from October 2017 to December 2021.

Goh says: “As an SIA Group veteran, Leslie has a wealth of experience from key positions in Singapore and other important markets of Singapore Airlines, as well as his leadership roles with Scoot and Visatara. His promotion bolsters our senior management team and allows him to make a deeper contribution to the future success of the SIA Group.”

SIA reported record earnings of $2.68 billion for its FY2024 ended March 31, up 24% y-o-y, with some lift from one-offs amid a sustained recovery of the industry. Excluding the exceptional items, SIA’s operating profit for the year was up just 1.3% to $2.73 billion.

Full-year earnings per share (EPS) was 61.4 cents, up from 35.1 cents.

The airline has recommended a final dividend per share of 38 cents, bringing full-year payout to 48 cents. In contrast, SIA paid a total of 38 cents for the previous financial year.

Shares in SIA closed 8 cents lower, or 1.18% down, at $6.73 on May 16.