Ashwani Lohani took the charge as the Chairman and Managing Director of Air India on Friday.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) had approved the appointment of the retired railway board chairman on Wednesday.
Lohani, who was the CMD of Air India earlier as well, will serve on a contractual basis as per the usual terms and condition applicable to re-employed central government officers in the rank and status of Secretary to the Government of India for a period of one year or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
An officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME), Lohani was appointed as the Chairman of the Railway Board in August 2017 from which he retired in 2018.
The Kanpur-born officer holds four engineering degrees - mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, metallurgical engineering and electronics and telecommunication engineering.
Lohani also features in the Guinness Book of World Records for successfully running the 'Fairy Queen Express', the world's oldest working steam locomotive.