Tata Sons executive chairman N Chandrasekaran is new Air India Chairman

New Delhi: Air India has got a new chairman. Tata Sons executive chairman N Chandrasekaran has been officially named as the new chairman of Air India. The loss-making airline was acquired by Tata Group from the central government last year. Tata had won the bid to take over debt-laden state-run Air India by offering Rs 18,000 crore. 

Chandrasekaran was reappointed as Tata Sons' executive chairman for another five years in February. 

He had joined the board of Tata Sons in 2016 and took over as Chairman in 2017 at a time when the group was mired in crisis after the ouster of his predecessor Cyrus Mistry in a shock boardroom coup led by Ratan Tata, who heads Tata Trusts – a bunch of philanthropic organizations that hold 66% stake in Tata Sons.

Media reports have said that the appointment of a new CEO of the formerly state-owned airline is also expected to be finalised soon as the appointment of former Turkish Airlines boss Ilker Ayci's was axed by the management. Ayci, who oversaw extensive cost-cutting at Turkish Airlines, was chosen as the debt-ridden carrier's first foreign CEO in mid-February after Tata group bought it back from the government following 69 years in state ownership.

Ayci is considered to be close to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an ally of Pakistan, which led to controversy once his appointment was announced.

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