Air India likely to reshuffle team of directors

Air India is likely to rejig its team of directors shortly in view of retirement of some of its top officials, sources said.     

While Air India Express Head, P P Singh, whose contract ended in August, has been given another extension for a month, Executive Director (Personnel) V A Ferreira is retiring on September 30.     

Also, one Executive Director (Headquarter), S Mukherji, retired on August 31 and another Executive Director (East), Senthil Kumar, quit last month after he was transferred to Kolkata.     

"A reshuffle of directors is likely to take place shortly in view of these developments," Air India sources said. Executive Director (Co-ordination), Anita Mitroo is front-runner to take the slot to be vacated by Ferreira while a successor of Captain Singh is yet not decided, sources said, adding the heads of Customer and Ground Handling Services, Integration and Western Region may also be replaced as part of the exercise.

"Although there is some hectic lobbying from some quarters to either grant extension or take on contract some of the officials post-retirement, the Air India management appears to be against extension or filling up the post with retired officials," sources said. While Manjira Khurana is currently Executive Director (Customer Services) and A K Sharma ED (Ground Handling Services), Vineeta Bahandai and R Harihar are ED (Integration cell-1) and ED (West), respectively.     

The management feels the national carrier is already over staffed and this may also come in the way of extension to superannuating persons or getting people from outside, sources said.     

After the exit of Mukherjee and Kumar, the post of ED (HQ) and ED (East) is also to be filled up, sources said.Air India has to name a Chief Executive Officer for its proposed ground handling joint venture with SATS and also for Air India Express, sources said, adding, "The incumbent is likely to be from the existing pool of top officials."     

The national carrier had only last month reshuffled couple of EDs besides creating a new post of ED (Marketing). Also, all the regional EDs (America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific) have been told to operate out of Mumbai.     

At the same time, five EDs from — Legal, Customer Services, Co-ordination, Integration (cell-1) and Internal Audit — departments have been told to shift their base to the headquarters by September 4. The five have been working in Delhi even after two years of merger of Air India and Indian Airlines, sources said.