Air India is the oldest airline company in our country. Once government-owned, it is now owned by the Tata Group. A new MD and CEO for Air India are yet to be appointed, and a Turkish man named Ilker Ayci was approached for the same.
He is the former chairman of Turkish Airlines, so he definitely comes with a lot of experience in this sector.
Although India and Turkey do not share a healthy political relationship, it is best to keep politics at a back seat when it comes to business. That’s what the Tatas did, but their efforts did not stop the narratives that followed post Ayci’s appointment as the CEO.
Ayci Accepted The Air India CEO Offer, Then Declined
On February 14th, the Air India Group finalised the appointment of Ilker Ayci as the CEO. However, in just two weeks, he turned down the job. He said,
“Since the announcement I have been carefully following news in some sections of the Indian media attempting to colour my appointment with undesirable colours. It will not be a feasible or an honourable decision to accept the position in the shadow of such a narrative.”
For any person who puts professional credo on priority, such narratives can be discouraging and major red flags.
But what “undesirable colours” is he referring to? For that, we have to dig deeper.
Ayci’s Political Affiliation
Ayci was an advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, when he was Instanbul’s mayor. Erdogan’s constant support to Pakistan’s stand on various issues like Kashmir and terrorism has resulted in the bitter ties between Turkey and India.
In fact, just around 10 days before Ayci’s appointment as the CEO of Air India, the Anadolu, Turkey’s news agency ran a “Kashmir Solidarity Day” report. This definitely did not go well with the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and its affiliate SJM (Swadeshi Jagran Manch).
The BJP-support wings expressed their concerns over Ayci’s appointment as the Air India CEO in the interests of ‘national security’.
Read More: Tata Owned Air India Says ‘If We Don’t Then Who Will’ While Posting About Bringing Stranded Citizens From Ukraine
However, that is not to say that Ayci was not a qualified candidate for the role. He was in a senior position in Turkish Airlines and under his tenure, the airlines overcame several hurdles.
He turned around Turkish Airlines not once but two times – once after the 2016 coup and another post the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the first nine months of 2021, the year when the air traffic was severely affected owing to the pandemic, Turkish Airlines reported a net profit of $735 million. This expertise and sheen business sense of Ayci could have come to Air India’s aid, the company which is suffering economically.
As the fuel prices are on a rise and the air traffic is much lower compared to the pre-COVID levels, it is crucial to hire someone quickly and efficiently at the helm of Air India – someone who can steer the ship (or flight) into the right direction.
Disclaimer: This article is fact-checked
Sources: Financial Express, LiveMint, Business Standard + more
Find The Blogger: @TinaGarg18
This post is tagged under: ilker ayci, turkish airlines, Air india, airport, airplanes, aeroplane, flight, passenger flight, tata, ratan tata, tata group, turkey pakistan relation, politics in business, RSS, SJM, fuel price, jet fuel price, aviation sector
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