Here's why government wants a 'scrupulous' background check on Air India chief Ilker Ayci

Ilker Ayci, CEO of Tata-led Air India (Illustration: Moneycontrol)

The Union home ministry will conduct a “scrupulous” background check for Ilker Ayci, the newly appointed CEO and MD of Air India, according to sources.

Ayci is a Turkish national and will thus be subject to a thorough background check by the MHA. As per norms, the Centre does this for all foreign nationals appointed to key positions in any Indian company, the sources argued.

The ministry of home affairs (MHA) 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. The MHA is expected to task external intelligence agency R&AW for a background check on the Air India chief.

The Tata Group, which formally acquired the national carrier from the government on January 27, announced Ayci’s appointment as chief of the loss-making airline on February 14.

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Ayci served as chairman of Turkish Airlines from April 2015 to January 2022 and was credited with turning the airline around.

The Air India board, where Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran was a special invitee, met to consider Ayci’s candidature and approved the appointment after due deliberations, a statement from the company said.

"I am delighted and honoured to accept the privilege of leading an iconic airline and to join the Tata Group. Working closely with my colleagues at Air India and the leadership of the Tata Group, we will utilise the strong heritage of Air India to make it one of the best airlines in the world with a uniquely superior flying experience that reflects Indian warmth and hospitality," Ayci said following his appointment.

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Who is Ilker Ayci?

The 51-year-old is a 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, he completed an International Relations Master’s programme at the Marmara University in Istanbul in 1997.

After the 1994 local elections in Turkey, when Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became the Mayor of Istanbul, Aycı was appointed his advisor. During this time, Aycı had held several positions in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

Ayci has been assigned several positions in the Kurtsan Ilaclar AS, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and Universal Dis Ticaret AS. On November 19, 2018, when Ilker Ayci tied the knot with lawyer and sports commentator Tugçe Saatman, Turkish President Erdogan had attended the wedding and also acted as one of the witnesses.

Between 2005 and 2011, the new Air India head had also served as the CEO of multiple insurance companies, before being appointed as the president of the Prime Ministry Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey in January 2011.

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Two years later, in February 2013, he became the vice-president of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies; a year later he was promoted to become the chairman from 2014 to 2015.

He was also an executive board member of Turkish Airlines till April 2015, following which he became the chairman of the airline – a position he held until 2022.

Ayci is also on the board of the Turkish Football Federation, Turkish Airlines Sports Club and TFF Sportif Anonim Sirketi and Member of The Canadian Turkish Business Council and a Member of the US-Turkey Business Council, according to The Wall Street Journal.

On January 26, 2022, İlker Aycı resigned from his post as chairman of Turkish Airlines, and within a month, he was appointed by the Tata Group to become the new Air India CEO and MD. He will be assuming his responsibilities on or before April 1.

The Tata Group took complete control of Air India from the government, nearly 69 years after it was taken from the conglomerate. The government had last October 8 sold Air India to Talace Private – a subsidiary of the Tata Group's holding company – for Rs 18,000 crore following a competitive bidding process.

(With inputs from PTI)