Rajiv Bansal takes over as Air India chairperson

Rajiv Bansal, additional secretary in Ministry of Petroleum, has been appointed as Air India chairperson on an interim basis on Wednesday. 

Bansal, an IAS officer of Nagaland cadre (1988 batch), was given the additional charge of Air India chairperson after incumbent Ashwani Lohani moved to the Railway Board. Bansal will hold the additional charge for three months, Department of Personnel Affairs & Training said in its order.

Bansal will oversee the expansion of Air India in Europe and the US apart from regional routes and assumes charge at a time when the government is planning a stake sale. 

A civil engineer from IIT Delhi, Bansal was earlier posted in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and responsible for digital payments, Aadhaar and internet governance.

He has served as a director in Civil Aviation Ministry between 2006-2008 and handled the domestic transport section which deals with initial permission for new airlines, route dispersal guidelines among other issues. He also served on the board of Alliance Air, an Air India subsidiary during the period.