Aloke Singh To Be New Chief Of Air India Express

Aloke Singh joined Air India Express in November 2020 and is leading the airline’s post-Covid recovery and played an instrumental role in developing the airline’s dedicated cargo business, which accounts for about five per cent of its revenue

Aloke Singh will lead Air India’s low-cost airlines, while Sunil Bhaskaran, the current CEO of AirAsia India, will lead a new aviation training academy as part of an organisational restructuring announced on Thursday.

Air India, Air India Express, AirAsia India and Vistara are all operated by the Tata group. Air India Express and AirAsia India will merge as part of the consolidation process to form a single low-cost airline. Vistara will also be merged with Air India, resulting in a single full-service carrier.

Both mergers are subject to regulatory approval and all four airlines are currently operating independently.

Singh, the CEO of Air India Express, will become the sole CEO of the Air India LCC airlines on 1 January, the airline’s chief executive officer, Campbell Wilson, announced in a staff note on Thursday. Bhaskaran will start his new job on the same day.

Singh joined Air India Express in November 2020 and is leading the airline’s post-Covid recovery. He was also instrumental in developing the airline’s dedicated cargo business, which accounts for about 5 per cent of its revenue.

“A single CEO will provide the clarity and accountability required to navigate the (merger) process,” Wilson said.

Air India Express operates 603 flights per week to and from 32 domestic and international cities, according to an aviation analytics firm. It operated approximately 531 flights per week to and from 34 domestic and international cities in December of last year.

Bhaskaran will be in charge of the training academy, a new initiative for the Tata group. Wilson wrote that the academy will compete with the biggest and best anywhere in the world.

“Over the coming years, ambitious new Air India and aviation industry generally will require thousands of home-grown pilots, engineers, cabin crew, airport managers and other function specialists. We have a need and a duty to develop this talent as India’s flagship airline,” Wilson added.