Here's Why RSS Affiliate SJM Is Opposing Appointment Of Turkish CEO Ilker Ayci For Air India

Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has expressed its reservations and urged the Center to reconsider on the part of the company, Tata Sons, on the appointment of Ilker Ayci -a Turkish national- as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Air India.

During a recent chat with The Hindu, Ashwani Mahajan, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch co-convener, stated that his organisation was opposed to the government clearing the appointment, keeping in mind "national security issues."

"I don't think the approval (by the Centre) will come. I think the government is already very sensitive to the issue and has taken up the matter very seriously," he has been quoted as saying.

The SJM's reservations on the appointment of Ayci as the new CEO of Air India arise due to the 51-year-old's close relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to whom Ayci was an adviser when he was the mayor of Istanbul during 1994-1998. To Ayci's credit, he was massively responsible for the turnaround of Turkish Airlines under his stewardship between 2015 and 2022. Recently, Tata Sons bought India's flagship carrier Air India.

Ilker Ayci's Appointment As CEO Of Air India

As per Tata Group's official releases on February 14, it said: "The Air India board met this afternoon to consider the candidature of Ilker Ayci. N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, was a special invitee to this board meeting." Furthermore, it also added that upon due deliberations, it came to the decision to approve the appointment of Ayci as the CEO & MD of Air India and that his appointment is subject to requisite regulatory approvals as well.

As per the Tata Group's official release, Ilker Ayci was born in Istanbul in 1971 and is the 1994 alumni of Bilkent University's Department of Political Science and Public Administration. After a research stay on political science at the Leeds University in the UK in 1995, Ayciccr completed an International Relations Master's program at the Marmara University in Istanbul in 1997.

Ever since 2015, Ilker has been functioning as the chairman of Turkish Airlines. However, on January 27 this year, the airline announced the departure of Aycu from the post — the same day the Indian government had handed over Air India to the Tata Group.

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