AI may get new CEO if government nod is delayed

IIker Ayci’s security clearance has not come from the government, so the airline has delayed key managerial personnel to take charge

PRAVASISAMWAD.COM

Tata Sons, the new owners of Air India, is still awaiting the security clearance of Turkish CEO-appointee IIker Ayci. Since his security clearance has not come from the government, the airline has delayed key managerial personnel to take charge.

Ayci’s proximity to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is not known to be a friend of India, is among the major reasons for the delay in his security clearance. “Various options will be considered, including the appointment of a COO, if there is a delay in the security clearance of Ayci,” according to a source who was quoted by ET. Recruitment firm Egon Zehnder had shortlisted five professionals from five top airlines in the world. Tata Sons selected Ayci, from that list.

Ayci is expected to take charge of Air India on or before April 1. “There is still some time. Tata Sons is watching the situation,” the source pointed out. If, however, Ayci does not get security clearance, Tata Sons will select the next best from the remaining four for the CEO’s role in Air India.

Meanwhile, the economic wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, has gone on record to say that the government must not approve Ayci’s appointment as Turkey had been sympathetic to India’s rival Pakistan.

The Swadesh Jagran Manch apparently has, according to reports, considerable influence on Indian policy making, Ashwani Mahajan, co-convenor of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch said: “It (Air India) has been a national carrier and it still carries the same importance… Tata should not get clearance for this,” Mahajan told Reuters.

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