Tata Sons has appointed Mehmat Ilker Ayci, former chairman of Turkish Airlines, as the MD and CEO of Air India. The Air India board met on February 14 to approve his candidature. N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, was a special invitee to this board meeting. According to the official press release issued by Tata Sons, the new owners of Air India, it is expected that Ayci would take charge on or before April 1, 2022.

Welcoming him, N. Chandrasekaran said Ayci is an aviation industry leader who led Turkish Airlines to its current success, and that he would lead Air India to the new era.

Also read: Ilker Ayci appointed CEO and MD of Air India; 51-year-old aviation veteran may take charge on April 1

Ayci, in his career of around 30 years, has worked in various fields, including investment firms, insurance companies and the aviation sector.

Mehmet Ilker Ayci was born in Istanbul in 1971. The 51-year-old aviation expert is an alumnus of Bilkent University’s Department of Political Science and Public Administration. After completing his graduation from Bilkent University he worked as a researcher at Leeds University, England, in 1995. He completed the international relations master’s programme from the Marmara University in Istanbul in 1997.

Also read: Ratan Tata welcomes Air India passengers with special message; here's what he said

In 2011, he was appointed as the president of the Prime Ministry Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT). Earlier, he held several positions in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and served as the CEO of several insurance companies.

Since 2015, Ayci has been the chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee at Turk Hava Yollari Anonim Ortaklığı (THY), also known as Turkish Airlines. The company provides air cargo and passenger air transportation services. It serves all domestic destinations and has a presence in the Middle East, North America, Europe, Asia, North Africa and South Africa.

Also read: Air India handover highlights: It's official; N Chandra-led Tata Group takes charge of Maharaja

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Feb 14, 2022 7:22 PM IST