NEW DELHI Reuter: The Indian government has named two of the country’s best known industrialists to head its foreign and domestic airlines 10 months ahead of their scheduled merger an aviation official said.
Ratan Naval Tata 49 has been appointed chairman of Air India and Rahul Bajaj 48 is the new chairman of the domestic airline Indian Airlines.
Civil servants have traditionally held the two posts.
Tata and Bajaj replace SS. Sidhu acting joint chairman of the two airlines who is also the most senior official of the civil aviation ministry.
“The move to put senior industrial managers in charge of the two airlines is designed to use their experience for a smooth merger” said the official who declined to be named.
The moved marked the return to Air India management of the Tata family who pioneered civil aviation in the country.
Ratan Tata is the nephew of IRD. Tata the first Indian to obtain a flying license in 1929 who became Air India’s first chairman in 1953 after his Tata Airlines was nationalized.
The government also announced new management boards for the two airlines comprising mainly banker’s professional managers and administrators.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 26, 1986
