Ilker Ayci, former Turkish Airlines chairman, has declined the role of the chief executive of Tata’s Air India, a Tata spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday. Ayci was appointed last month to lead the debt-laden airlines by the Tata group. “I have come to the conclusion that it would not be a feasible or an honorable decision to accept the position…,” Ayci said in a statement seen by Bloomberg. He was expected to take charge of the airline on or before April 1, according to press release.
Ayci, a Turkish national, was born in Istanbul in 1971. He led Turkish Airlines from 2015 to end of January 2022. Ayci was an also an adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he was mayor of Istanbul between 1994-1998. During this time, Aycı had held several positions in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
His appointment was subject to security clearance from the ministry of home affairs. The home ministry has recently told that it has not yet received any communication in this matter from Ayci, the Tata Group, its nodal agency, or the civil aviation ministry. Once this comes, the security clearance process will begin, they informed, according to PTI.
