India's government has appointed a veteran civil servant as the new chairman and managing director of state-owned Air India. V Thulasidas, most recently chief secretary of the small state of Tripura, was formally given the top two jobs at Air India on 22 December. He replaced as chairman Roy Paul, who remains India's civil aviation secretary, and as managing director Sunil Arora, who is also the chairman and managing director of Indian Airlines. Arora was only given the additional job of managing director of Air India in August, replacing J N Gogoi, who retired.
Air India has seen frequent changes in the office of its managing director in recent years, but the airline says Thulasidas, 55, has been appointed for a "firm three-year term". He is the first person in nine years to hold both the title of chairman and that of managing director.
Thulasidas has long been an officer in the Indian civil service and was Tripura's chief secretary from 1995. He has held many other state and federal government jobs.
NICHOLAS IONIDES SINGAPORE
Source: Airline Business
