MHA to take help from intelligence agency, R&AW for background check of Air India’s new CEO
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will conduct a meticulous background check of the newly appointed CEO and MD of Air India, Ilker Ayci, a Turkish national, an official source said on Sunday. Since Ayci is a Turkish national, the MHA is expected to take help from the external intelligence agency, R&AW, for his background check.
The Tata Group, which acquired Air India from the government, had recently announced Ayci’s appointment as the CEO and MD of the airlines. Tata Group bought the debt-ridden state-owned Air India from the Central government by placing a bid of Rs.18,000 crore at an auction and on January 27, it took over the full control of Air India.
Ayci was an advisor of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when the latter was
mayor of Istanbul, from 1994 to 1998. He had served Turkish Airlines as its chairman from 2015 to 2022 and was credited with turning the airline around.
As per sources, the Home Ministry carries out a thorough background check of all foreign nationals when they are appointed in the key positions of any Indian company, so, it will be the same process for the newly appointed CEO and MD in Air India too, they said.
The sources added that the MHA has not yet received any communication on Ayci from either the Tata group or the Civil Aviation Ministry, the nodal ministry. Once communication is received, the whole process of security clearance will begin.
Ayci has degrees in political science and public administration from Bilkent University. He has also done masters in international relations from Marmara University in Istanbul.
[With Inputs from IANS]
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