Tata group to name Air India CEO in few days after Ilker Ayci says no

Appointment of Air India CEO would be discussed with the board of Tata Sons as airline revival plan gets going.

The Tata group is likely to announce a new chief executive officer for Air India in the next few days after its first pick, Turkey’s Ilker Ayci, refused the job due to controversy over his relationship with that country’s president.

“The name of the new CEO is being finalised. Since it is an important appointment and as a part of good corporate governance the appointment would be discussed with the board of Tata Sons. There is no decision yet but it will happen in a few days,” said a person familiar with the matter.

Tata Sons, the holding company of the group, did not comment. The group took over Air India from the government on January 27 and working on its revamp. While steps have been initiated to improve in-flight service and punctuality, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran aims to make Air India the most technologically advanced network carrier.

A five-member committee is overseeing the airline now. Tata group nominees too will be appointed on Air India board shortly and the government has already cleared their appointments. These include Chandrasekaran, HUL chairman Sanjiv Mehta and former chairman of General Insurance Corporation Alice Vaidyan.

The group has appointed Saurabh Agrawal, group Chief Financial Officer, and senior vice president Nipun Aggarwal on boards of Air India Express and AI SATS respectively.

Ayci, a former chairman of Turkish Airlines, had served as advisor to Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. His closeness to Erdogan drew criticism on social media given the frosty relations between India and Turkey. Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, a group backed by the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak, opposed the appointment on grounds of national security.

Ayci was named to lead Air India on February 14 and he declined to take up the post on March 1.