The Air India Group has announced a series of significant leadership changes as part of its merger with Vistara.
These changes will come in effect on November 12, 2024. The merger, is one of the most complex in aviation history.
It aims to consolidate the Tata Group’s airline business and create a stronger, unified entity.
Leadership Appointments and Roles
Vinod Kannan, the current CEO of Vistara, will continue in his role as Chief Integration Officer (CIO) post-merger.
He will also be a member of the Management Committee and report directly to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson.
Deepak Rajawat, Vistara’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), will take up the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Air India Express, reporting to CEO Aloke Singh.
Vikas Agarwal, the current CFO of Air India Express, will move to a new role within Air India.
Capt. Hamish Maxwell, Senior Vice President (SVP) of Flight Operations at Vistara, will assume an advisory role to Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh.
Capt. Pushpinder Singh, Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Air India Express, will return to flying, and a successor for his role will be announced in due course.
Deepa Chadha, SVP HR & Corporate Affairs at Vistara, and Vinod Bhatt, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Vistara, will take on senior roles at other Tata group companies.
Niyant Maru, Vistara’s CFO, will retire at the end of his current term. Niyant continued beyond his superannuation date to see through the merger, .
Air India Group: CEO’s Statement
Campbell Wilson, CEO & MD of Air India, expressed his gratitude for the team’s efforts in achieving this complex merger.
He stated, “Over the past two years, the four Tata airlines have worked hard to prepare for and execute one of the most complex mergers in aviation history, consolidating from four airlines to two in the context of dramatic growth and wholesale transformation.”
Campbell added, “As we now approach the end of that process, we are delighted to formalize a Group leadership comprising colleagues from all four antecedent airlines to drive the next phase of our journey.”
The merger will create a full-service carrier of scale, with Air India operating over 5,600 weekly flights.
It will also be connecting more than 90 domestic and international destinations with a fleet of 208 aircraft.
The low-cost entity, Air India Express, will operate 2,700 weekly flights.
Additionally, it will also connect more than 45 domestic and international destinations with a fleet of 90 aircraft.
The unified Air India Group will now operate over 8,300 weekly flights on 312 routes.
This will be connecting more than 100 domestic and international destinations with a fleet of 300 aircraft.
The leadership changes and merger are part of the ongoing Vihaan.AI transformation program.
This aims to establish Air India Group as a world-class global aviation company with an Indian heart.
The combined entity will offer customers more choice with a larger fleet and a wider network.
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