Turkey's Ayci declines Air India CEO role following Indian opposition
Turkey’s Ilker Ayci has declined to take on the role of chief executive of Air India, days after the announcement of his appointment led to opposition in India over his previous political links.
The Tata Group, which owns the formerly state-run Air India, last month announced Ayci's appointment as CEO of the airline after taking over in January in a $2.4bn equity and debt deal.
But last week, a Hindu nationalist group close to India's ruling party called on the government to block Ayci's appointment citing his previous political links in Turkey, which has strained relations with New Delhi.
Ayci, who was the former chairman of Turkish Airlines, was an adviser in 1994 to Recep Tayyip Erdogan when the Turkish president was mayor of Istanbul.
Ashwani Mahajan, co-convenor of the Hindu nationalist group Swadeshi Jagran Manch, which is seen as having significant influence on Indian policymaking, said last week that the government must not approve Ayci's appointment as Turkey had been sympathetic to India's rival Pakistan.
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‘Undesirable colours’
Ayci said in a statement that in a recent meeting with Tata chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran, he declined to take the post after reading about attempts "to colour my appointment with undesirable colours" in some sections of the Indian media.
"As a business leader who has always prioritised professional credo...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 narrative," Ayci said.
A spokesperson for India's Tata confirmed the development, without providing more details.
The move comes as a setback for India's Tata, which will need to restart the search for a CEO to turn around the debt-ridden carrier.
The appointment of a foreign national as CEO of an airline in India requires government clearance before it can proceed.
A government source told Reuters last week that India is conducting a rigorous background check of Ayci because security agencies have flagged concerns about his links in Turkey.
In 2020, India lodged a diplomatic protest after Erdogan criticised New Delhi's decision to impose federal rule in the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan, saying that Turkey stood in solidarity with its people.
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