Declan Ryan Replaces VivaColombia Founder William Shaw as President of Viva Air

Viva Air, the umbrella brand that includes discount airline VivaColombia under a revamped organizational structure, has named a new president: Declan Ryan, current chairman of the Viva Air board of directors, managing partner of Irelandia Aviation, and son of Ryanair co-founder Tony Ryan.

Ryan takes over the president role from William Shaw, founder of VivaColombia, as the carrier continues its major expansion plans following last year’s $5.3 billion USD purchase order of 50 Airbus A320 aircraft that will begin to be delivered in the second half of 2018, according to the company.

Shaw, will continue as a member of the board of directors and “advise the executive team from the board,” said Viva Air in a statement.

Viva Air launched last year as the Peruvian sister airline of VivaColombia, which was founded by Shaw before the Ryanair-affiliated company Irelandia Aviation took control of Colombia’s leading discount carrier. Both Andean airlines, as as well as VivaAerobus of Mexico, fall under the wider Viva Air umbrella.

Declan Ryan has been involved with the founding or management of six discount airlines over the past 30 years, including Ryanair, VivaAerobus, Tiger Airways of Singapore, and Allegiant Air in the United States.

Photo: A VivaColombia aircraft at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia. (Credit: VivaColombia)