Turkey's Ilker Ayci declines to be Chief Executive officer of Air India

Turkey's Ilker Ayci has refused to take the job of Chief Executive officer (CEO) of Air India, which has now been taken over by the Tata Group after a successful bidding process.

The Tata Group had just recently announced his appointment as CEO and were hopeful that he would help revive the debt-laden airline.

The Group was hoping that Ayci’s able leadership will provide good guidance and a way forward to the airline which have been facing losses after the past few years.

His announcement came in the wake of opposition from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological arm of the ruling BJP. After the announcement, the RSS wrote to the government and asked not to give clearance as he had previous political links with Turkey.

A former chairman of Turkish Airlines, Ayci worked as an adviser in 1994 to Tayyip Erdogan when the Turkish president was mayor of Istanbul.

In a statement, Ayci has conveyed his decision to refuse to take the job of CEO to Tata's Chairman N Chandrasekaran as his appointment has been questioned in a section of the media.

He said, "As a business leader who has always prioritised professional credo ... I have come to the conclusion that it would not be a feasible or an honourable decision to accept the position in the shadow of such narrative.”

Tata Group has also confirmed this development.