Air India taps former Turkish Airlines chief as new CEO

The Tata Group has appointed IIker Ayci, former chairman of Turkish Airlines, as the chief executive officer and managing director of Air India, the debt-laden national carrier that it took over from the government last month. Ayci, slated to take charge on April 1, will face the stark challenge of turning around an airline that has been kept afloat by taxpayer money. "I am delighted and honored to accept the privilege of leading an iconic airline and to join the Tata Group," Ayci said Monday. "Working closely with my colleagues at Air India and the leadership of the Tata Group, we will utilize 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." Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, said Ayci would "lead Air India into a new era." "Ilker is an aviation industry leader who led Turkish Airlines to its current success during his tenure there," Chandrasekaran said in a statement. "We are delighted to welcome Ilker to the Tata Group." Having overseen a fleet of some 350 airplanes for Turkish Airlines, Ayci is well positioned "to run an airline with a fleet half that size," according to Ugur Cebeci, a leading aviation writer in Turkey. "[Ayci] managed to keep his entire staff intact during the pandemic and made no job cuts, instead cutting salaries and successfully boosting cargo revenues," he said. "I am sure he can cut a substantial part of the loss and turn Air India into a profitable business." Cebeci believed Ayci's experience outside the airline industry running an insurance company would give him a unique advantage in navigating Air India's future. "As an insurer, he is a man accustomed to calculating risks, and it's likely that when he headed Turkey's Investment Support and Promotion Agency he had contacts with Tata," Cebeci said.<br/>