Ilker Ayci, a former chairman of Turkish Airlines, has declined an offer from Tata Group to be the new CEO of Air India, a Tata spokesperson said.
Tata Sons had announced on February 14 that Ayci would be the new CEO and MD of Air India, which returned to government control in late January.
The RSS had opposed his appointment as Air India CEO, citing his close ties to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The RSS had argued the government should not give clearance to his appointment “keeping in view national security”.
Economic Times reported that Ayci had released a statement on his decision. Blaming the Indian media for presenting a “coloured” narrative on his appointment, Ayci said, “I have come to the conclusion that it would not be a feasible or an honourable decision to accept the position in the shadow of such a narrative. My appointment at Air India within Tata Group was announced earlier in February, with a start date of April 1st. Since the announcement, I have been carefully following news in some sections of the Indian media attempting to color my appointment with undesirable colors.”
During Ayci's tenure at Turkish Airlines, the carrier saw a massive expansion in fleet size and number of destinations served.
