New Delhi:
Rohit Nandan, Joint Secretary in the Civil Aviation Ministry, has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India for a three-year period, said an official. Mr. Nandan was earlier Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Govt of India.
Mr. Nandan replaces Arvind Jadhav, who has been under fire for his handling of the pilots' strike.
Sources have told NDTV there is also a proposal to create two deputy MDs for Air India and Indian Airlines.
Officers including Petro-Chemicals secretary K Jose Cyriac and Cochin Airport CEO Kurien and another official in the aviation ministry were short-listed for the top job, according to sources. However, they declined to accept the offer.
Air India's 40,000 employees have not received their salary for June and July and performance linked incentives (PLI) from April to July. Currently, the airline is laden with a cumulative debt of Rs. 40,000 crore that it incurred over aircraft acquisition, and as short-term loans to maintain its operations. The airline posted losses around Rs. 7,000 crore for the last fiscal.
Born on January 27, 1957, Mr. Nandan did his post graduation in History and his MBA from United Kingdom.
Mr. Nandan joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1982 and belongs to the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He has held posts in Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Social Justice and Empowerment, Disabled Welfare, rural Development.