Turkey's Ayci declines Air India CEO role in setback for Tata Group

Turkey's Ilker Ayci said Tuesday he will not take on 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. Tata last month announced Ayci's appointment as CEO of previously state-run Air India after taking over the debt-laden airline in January in a $2.4b equity and debt deal. But last week, a Hindu nationalist group close to India's ruling party called on the government to block Ayci's appointment citing his previous political links in Turkey, which has strained relations with New Delhi. Ayci, a former chairman of Turkish Airlines, was an adviser in 1994 to Tayyip Erdogan when the Turkish president was mayor of Istanbul. Ayci said that in a recent meeting with Tata Chairman N Chandrasekaran 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 prioritised 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.<br/>