Tata Sons appoints Ilker Ayci as Air India CEO

Ilker Ayci will be the first CEO and MD of Air India under the Tatas

Tata Sons on Monday named former Turkish Airlines Chairman Ilker Ayci as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director of Air India, within three weeks of the salt-to-software conglomerate taking full control of the national carrier.

Ayci (51), who was the Chairman of the Turkish Airlines until recently and on the board of the company prior to that, will assume his responsibilities on or before April 1. He will be the first CEO and MD of Air India under the Tatas.

The decision was taken by the Air India board at a meeting on Monday afternoon in which Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran was a special invitee. The appointment is subject to requisite regulatory approvals, a statement said.

"Ilker is an aviation industry leader who led Turkish Airlines to its current success during his tenure there. We are delighted to welcome Ilker to the Tata Group where he would lead Air India into the new era," Chandrasekaran said.

Ayci said he was "delighted and honoured to accept the privilege of leading an iconic airline" and to join the Tata Group.

"Working closely with my colleagues at Air India and the leadership of the Tata Group, we will utilise the strong heritage of Air India to make it one of the best airlines in the world with a uniquely superior flying experience that reflects Indian warmth and hospitality," he said.

Born in Istanbul, Ayci is 1994 alumni of Bilkent University’s Department of Political Science and Public Administration. After a research stay on political science at the Leeds

University in the UK in 1995, he completed an International Relations Master’s program at the Marmara University in Istanbul in 1997.

Government had on January 27 handed over Air India to the new owner Tata Sons, completing the privatisation process of a public entity for the first time in 20 years. Tata Sons had quoted Rs 18,000 crore -- which includes taking over of Rs 15,300 crore of Air India's debt and a payment of Rs 2,700 crore in cash -- in a competitive bid and announced the winner last October.

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