Tatas to retain all top posts intact in Air India after merger with Vistara: Report

SIA would pump into Rs 2,059 crore in the expanded share capital of Air India for a 25.1 percent stake.

The Tata Group is favour of continuing with the top management of Air India (AI) after its merger with Vistara Airlines. This means that all top executives of Air India are likely to hold their positions even after the two carriers merge, The Economic Times reported.

Campbell Wilson will remain its chief executive, Nipun Aggarwal and Sanjay Sharma are also likely to retain their positions as chief commercial and transformation officer and chief financial officer, the report added.

As per the business daily, Vistara CEO Vinod Kannan is likely to return to Singapore Airlines (SIA), the airlines' parent company.

Moneycontrol couldn't independently verify the report.

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Vistara's chief commercial officer Deepak Rajawat is likely to be a part of the merged entity, the report further stated.

"Vistara has been a terrific brand. The team has done a wonderful job, but there is a greater purpose to maintain continuity in a larger entity," a person involved in the merger process told ET.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) had in September 2023, after much roadblock, approved the merger of Tata Group airlines Vistara and Air India, subject to certain conditions. With this approval, Air India is on the verge of potentially becoming India's largest international carrier and second-largest domestic airline after IndiGo.

As part of the deal, SIA would pump Rs 2,059 crore into the expanded share capital of Air India for a 25.1 percent stake. Tata Sons would own the remaining 74.9 percent stake in the combined entity.

Tata Sons and SIA filed a merger application with the CCI in April 2023, mentioning that the proposed merger of Vistara with Air India would not alter the competitive landscape or cause any adverse impact on competition in India.