Dear Editor – Regarding the now widely published, termination of Ron Sumsum as CEO Solomon Airlines, some reports give the impression that Sumsum was removed for shutting the airline down last week.
In fact, the new CEO John McCormick was appointed on 1st June, nearly a week before the shutdown.
The new CEO must have been subject to a recruitment process of more than a day or so.
Thus, it would seem that the airline shutdown was a last ditch effort by Sumsum to save his position – despite his comments that he was leaving anyway, a predictable enough statement.
Mr Kraus, the airlines Commercial Manager appears, according to his automated email, to be away; that hasn’t stopped him saying that the airline supports Sumsum – in fact although Kraus might support Sumsum, he does not represent the airline’s senior management, that is to say, the BoD.
It is fact that criminal complaints have been lodged with both the DPP and the RSIPF in respect of Sumsum and I would suggest that his dismissal may be because of that, rather than his distress at trading while insolvent, which never bothered him before, or his concern for weary pilots.
Stephen A. Carey
Qld , Australia
