Ilker Ayci turns down Tata Group's offer to be new Air India CEO

Plan B: 5-member interim panel to run the airline

Two weeks after he was appointed Air India chief executive officer, Ilker Ayci has declined the offer to join the Tata Group-owned airline. Ayci’s departure, even before taking charge, comes in the backdrop of a controversy around his security clearance prospects.

Ayci, former chairman of Turkish Airlines, had earlier served as advisor to Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. His closeness to Erdogan drew criticism on social media given the frosty relations between India and Turkey. More recently, Rashtriya Swayam Sevak-backed Swadeshi Jagaran Manch opposed the appointment on grounds of national security.

Ayci, who spearheaded Turkish Airlines to its turnaround and