“Not Feasible”: Newly Appointed Air India CEO Declines Job

New Delhi: Turkey’s Ilker Ayci on Tuesday said that he won’t be taking up the role of chief executive of Tata Group’s Air India, days after the announcement of his appointment led to opposition in India over his previous political links.

Last month Tata had made an announcement of him being appointed as the CEO of previously state-run Air India after taking over the heavily-indebted airline in January in a $2.4 billion equity and debt deal.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was against the appointment of Ayci as the CEO citing his previous political links. RSS, the ideological mentor of BJP, called upon the government and urged to block his appointment.

Former Chairman of Turkish Airlines, Ilker Ayci, in the year 1994 was an advisor of Tayyip Erdogan when the Turkish President was Mayor of Istanbul.

In a statement, Ayci said that in a recent meeting with Tata Chairman N Chandrasekaran he declined to take the post after reading about attempts to colour his appointment with “undesirable colours” in some sections of the Indian media.

“As a business leader who has always prioritized professional credo … I have come to the conclusion that it would not be a feasible or an honorable decision to accept the position in the shadow of such a narrative,” Ayci said.

The development was confirmed by a spokesperson of Tata in India, but he did not share any other details.

This move is a setback for India’s Tata as now they will have to look up for a CEO to turn around the loss-making carrier. Tata has lucrative landing slots, and any new chief faces an uphill task to upgrade Air India’s ageing fleet and turn around its financials and service levels.

For appointing any foreign national as the CEO of an airline in India, government clearance is required before proceeding with the appointment.