When Ryna Brito-Garcia launched Sunlight Air in 2020, the global aviation industry was in survival mode. Airlines were grounding fleets, slashing routes, and bracing for turbulence as the pandemic emptied airports worldwide.
Brito-Garcia did the unthinkable: she started an airline.
Her contrarian bet was grounded in a simple observation—people might cancel big trips, but the allure of island getaways never really disappears. Sunlight Air’s first mission was to connect travelers directly to Busuanga, where demand for pristine beaches and quiet escapes remained surprisingly buoyant despite limited direct flights.
“It was certainly a challenge given the pandemic,” Brito-Garcia says. “But we saw an opportunity to serve travelers looking for easier access to island destinations.”
The airline’s early days looked less like a traditional aviation operation and more like a startup boot camp with airplanes. Sunlight Air began with just three team members, and Brito-Garcia wore nearly every hat available: navigating regulatory approvals, sorting operational paperwork, and sketching out the airline’s commercial strategy.
In other words, the CEO was also the paperwork department.
“At the time, I was very much a hands-on leader,” she recalls. “We all shared responsibilities to get the airline ready.”
That scrappy, roll-up-your-sleeves phase shaped the company’s DNA—and Brito-Garcia’s leadership style. Today, Sunlight Air has grown into a team of more than 200 employees, operating commercial flights that link travelers to some of the Philippines’ most sought-after leisure destinations.
With a seasoned leadership team now on board, Brito-Garcia has traded the day-to-day scramble for a higher-altitude view.
“Now I can focus more on decisions that shape the future direction of the company,” she says.
Of course, running an airline means accepting that turbulence isn’t just a metaphor. Aviation is an industry perpetually at the mercy of external forces—from government regulations to shifting travel trends to the occasional typhoon.
“The industry is constantly changing,” Brito-Garcia says. “You have to stay flexible and keep an eye on trends and innovations if you want to stay ahead.”
As one of the youngest—and one of the few female airline CEOs in the Philippines, Brito-Garcia brings a perspective that remains rare in aviation’s executive ranks.
“Being a woman at my age allows me to bring a different point of view to the industry,” she says. “Qualities often associated with women—like empathy and compassion—can actually help leaders better understand challenges and address concerns more deliberately.”
She hopes the cockpit—and the boardroom—will soon look more diverse.
“I’d love to see more women in aviation, whether as pilots, engineers, or leaders,” she says. “Gender should never be a limitation to what you can achieve with perseverance and hard work.”
Launching an airline in the middle of aviation’s worst crisis in decades might sound reckless. In Brito-Garcia’s case, it was simply good timing—and a willingness to take off when everyone else was still waiting for clearer skies.
