Ilker Ayci appointed as the CEO & MD of Air India

Tata Sons today announced that Ilker Ayci has been appointed the CEO & MD of Air India.

The Air India board met this afternoon to consider the candidature of Ilker Ayci. N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, was a special invitee to this board meeting. The board after due deliberations approved the appointment of Ilker Ayci as the CEO & MD of Air India. This appointment is subject to requisite regulatory approvals.

Until very recently, Ilker Ayci, was the Chairman of the Turkish Airlines and he was on the board of the company prior to that.

N Chandrasekaran, said, "Ilker is an aviation industry leader who led Turkish Airlines to its current success during his tenure there. We are delighted to welcome Ilker to the Tata Group where he would lead Air India into the new era." Ilker Ayci was born in Istanbul in 1971. He is 1994 alumni of Bilkent University's Department of Political Science and Public Administration. After a research stay on political science at the Leeds University in the UK in 1995, he completed an International Relations Master's program at the Marmara University in Istanbul in 1997.

On this occasion, Ilker Ayci, said, "I am delighted and honored to accept the privilege of leading an iconic airline and to join the Tata Group. 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."

Ilker Ayci will assume his responsibilities on or before April 1, 2022.