Tata Group’s plan to appoint a former Turkish Airline chief to head its newly-acquired Air India suffered a setback when the Turkish executive turned down the offer.
This rejection came a fortnight after the salt-to-software conglomerate announced it was appointing Ilker Ayci as the chief executive of Air India. He was slated to start his new role on April 1.
Ayci’s appointment had upset some right-wing political organizations over his past links with current Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. From 1994 to 1998, Ayci worked as an adviser to Erdogan when he was the mayor of Istanbul.
Swadeshi Jagran Manch urged the government to block the appointment over “national security concerns.” Swadeshi Jagran Manch is closely linked to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a right-wing Hindu majoritarian volunteer organization and the ideological mentor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
In his statement, Ayci said he declined to take the post after reading about attempts “to color my appointment with undesirable colors” 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 narrative,” Ayci said.
On February 14, when he was appointed Air India chief executive, Ayci said he was “delighted and honored” to lead an iconic airline by the Tata Group and would utilize the strong heritage of Air India to make it one of the best airlines in the world.
Ayci served as Chairman of Turkish Airlines from 2015 until he resigned in January this year. He had turned around the fortunes of the struggling airline.
The Tata Group will now have to restart the search for a CEO as it looks to turn around the bleeding airline. The new chief will have to upgrade Air India’s aging fleet and improve its financials and operational efficiency.
The appointment of a foreign national as the chief executive of an airline in India requires government clearance. He or she will have to clear a mandatory background check by the Indian Home Ministry.