India's Tata Group has appointed the former chairman of Turkish Airlines Ilker Ayci as the new CEO and MD of Air India.

Ayci will start his new job on or before April 1, 2022.

“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,” Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran said in a statement to the media.

“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 said.

Ayci was born in Istanbul in 1971. He served as a researcher in the Department of Political Sciences at Leeds University in the UK, after graduating from the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Bilkent University.

In 2011 he was appointed as the Chairman of The Republic of Turkey Investment Support and Promotion Agency. In 2013, he was appointed as the vice president of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies, and later on in January 2014, as the chairman.

Tata Group officially took over Air India on January 27, about three months after the Asian conglomerate had won the bid to acquire the debt-laden national carrier.

The transaction for the purchase of Air India from the Government of India covers three entities – Air India, Air India Express and AI SATS, which provides ground handling and cargo handling services.

The company, through the Tata Sons’ subsidiary, Talace Pvt Ltd, had won the bid in October last year to acquire the ailing airline from the Indian government.

According to the Government of India, Tata Son's paid Rs2,700 crore ($359 million) and took over the airline’s debt worth 15,300 crore as part of the transaction. The airline’s shares have also been transferred to Talace.

(Writing by Seban Scaria seban.scaria@lseg.com Editing by Daniel Luiz)

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