MAM
First for JAL – transpacific in-flight internet access
MUMBAI: Japan Airlines has expanded its in-flight Internet connection service to flights between Tokyo-New York: the world’s first service on a transpacific flight.
Provided by Connexion by Boeing Inc. (CBB) – a business unit of Boeing – the “JAL Inflight Internet Service”, which took off today, enables passengers to use their own wireless LAN compatible personal computers during flights.
Using VPN (Virtual Private Network) technology, the “JAL Inflight Internet Service” also enables passengers to access securely their company’s network, email and intranet site. Additionally, passengers can access free of charge JAL’s in-flight portal site which contains a selection of content such as company product and service information, says a company release.
Initially the service will be available on alternate days but towards the end of June it will be available daily. JAL’s Tokyo-New York route is popular with business travelers, who represent a high percentage of total passengers.
In 2003, JAL was the first Asian airline to reach an agreement with CBB to introduce in-flight Internet service and the airline introduced it on the Tokyo-London route on December 9, 2004. JAL will continue to expand this in-flight Internet connection service on Japan-Europe and Japan-North America routes, the release adds.
The in-flight internet service is catching up in Asia as well. All Nippon Airways started providing the service on flights between Tokyo and Shanghai in November. Plans are on the anvil to extend the service to its Tokyo-Los Angeles and Tokyo-New York routes. Singapore Airlines will kick off the service in mid-2005. Among Asian airline companies, Taiwan’s China Airlines, South Korea’s Asiana Airlines and Korean Air have signed deals with Boeing.
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
