NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Tata Group has appointed N Chandrasekaran as chairman of its Air India airline, a company spokesperson said on Monday, weeks after it acquired the former state-run carrier in a $2.4 billion equity and debt deal.
Chandrasekaran is chairman of the autos-to-salt Tata Group and several of its companies, including Tata Motors. Tata regained control of Air India in January after nearly 70 years.
Tata is also on the lookout for a new CEO to steer Air India after its first choice, Turkey’s Ilker Ayci, refused to take the post due to opposition in India over his previous political links in Turkey.
While the airline has lucrative landing slots, debt-laden Air India faces an uphill task to upgrade its aging fleet and turn around its financials and service levels.
(Reporting by Aditya Kalra; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
