Air India announced their top management structure after the appointment of Ashwani Lohani as the next chairman and managing director. The new appointments included executive director Shubhangi Singh, chief operating officer Pradeep Singh Kharola, joint managing director Amitabh Jain and Air India Charters managing director Kunal Sharan. However, the top job at Air India remains vacant as Ilker Ayci refused to take up the position of chairman and managing director of the national carrier citing regulatory hurdles and other reasons. Read on to know more about why Ilker Ayci turned down the top job at Air India. Ilker Ayci turned down the top job at Air India and these are the reasons why
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Aviation industry has an edge over other industries
It’s a common misconception that aviation industry is safe as there are no imminent risks. The truth is, aviation is one of those industries where sudden incidents happen in a matter of seconds. It has become difficult for pilots to make decisions in such situations because everything happens so fast. For example, foggy weather or high winds can impact their plane’s performance in an instant without any prior warning. Any critical mistake could cost thousands of lives depending on how large an aircraft was involved and where it crashed. Ilker Ayci turned down the top job at Air India and these are the reasons why
| Name | Mehmet İlker Aycı |
| Born | 1971 (age 51 years), İstanbul, Turkey |
| Spouse | Tuğçe Saatman Aycı (m. 2018) |
| Education | Marmara University (1997), Bilkent University (1994) |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Occupation | Former chairman of Turkish Airlines |
A big opportunity in aviation
The recently appointed chairperson of Air India, Ashwani Lohani, has welcomed Ilker Ayci on board as director (flight operations) in a letter dated 13th December 2016. The decision to hire Ilker was taken by Minister of Civil Aviation P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju during his visit to New Delhi today.
Changing aviation landscape in India
In February 2016, Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recommended Ilker Aycı as a full-time Director General for Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The aviation sector in India has been witnessing immense growth over the past decade with numerous low-cost carriers emerging in addition to several new airports being built across different cities. With around 11 million domestic passengers taking flights every day, there is huge potential for more development.
A great career opportunity for any professional
The chance to head up one of India’s biggest airlines would be a dream come true for many. One such person was Ilker Ayci, who was named as Air India’s new CEO in February 2015. However, he eventually turned down the role. Here we take a look at why he said no to one of the top jobs in Indian aviation and what his future plans are…