Ilker Ayci declines Air India’s CEO offer over elaborate media scrutiny

Last updated on March 3rd, 2022 at 01:34 pm

Ilker Ayci of Turkey has rejected an appointment offer as CEO of Tata Group’s Air India days after his appointment triggered media and opposition scrutiny over his earlier political links. Last month, on February 14, Tata Group had announced the appointment of Ayci as CEO of Air India which was previously operated by the government. This was after the Indian conglomerate had acquired the debt-laden Air India airline in a $2.4 billion equity and debt deal in January.

Ayci, a former chairman of Turkish Airlines, was an adviser in 1994 to Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, who at that time was the mayor of Istanbul.

Soon after the appointment announcement, political parties, as well as Indian media, started bringing Ayci’s previous links to politicians in Turkey and these discussions started making rounds publicly. Last week, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which is the ideological mentor of BJP, asked the Modi government to block Ayci’s appointment as Air India’s CEO citing his previous political links in Turkey, which now has strained relations with India.

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In a recent meeting with N Chandrasekaran, Chairperson of Tata Group, Ayci declined to take up the CEO offer of the airline after reading about “attempts to colour my appointment with undesirable colors” in some of the Indian media sections. “As a business leader who has always prioritized professional credo … I have come to the conclusion that it would not be a feasible or an honorable decision to accept the position in the shadow of such narrative,” Ayci said.

A spokesperson of Tata Group has confirmed the recent development in relation to Ayci rejecting the CEO offer but refused to give any comments. This is a big setback for Tata Group which will now have to resume the search for the airline’s CEO in order to turn around the carrier which is currently incurring huge losses.