You missed Air Asia India :)

If tenders are called I don't think they will be for the whole country - they are more likely to be zone/region/state or even route-wise. So more or less any airline serving those routes should work. GoI bureaucracy will probably ask for corporate-type fares with meals etc - so whoever is able to quote the best rate wins. Indigo works for corporate bookings only on the routes they have a monopoly. My sense is they will try and break it over a bunch of different airlines so that there is some redundancy etc.

For international travel AI still has a practical monopoly. I doubt with the AtmaNirbhar push GoI will allow foreign carriers to fly Indian diplomats/officials.

Now the GoI is taking offense that the new CEO was too close to Erdogan 🤦‍♂️

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com...w/89760632.cms

Should this be a surprise to anyone? The issue they have with him is not just that he's Turkish and been close to the government there. If he were a Christian Turk or a Jewish Turk, then the usual suspects in the country wouldn't be smarting over it as much. Keep in mind that the US has been fine with this guy and that India-based airlines having non-Indian CEOs is not new. ;)

It will be a huge embarrassment for GoI if after all their enthusiasm to get rid of Air India they are still overseeing management decisions. Especially given their much-flaunted "ease of doing business" policy.

From my exposure to the GoI over various administrations, the top level in power seems to be beyond feeling embarrassed by anything that doesn't knock them out of power -- and then the embarrassment is just part and parcel of the loss of power rather than something other than getting knocked out.

Just about every big business house in India knows to try to keep the top level of government buttered up in order to try to minimize adverse government actor intervention into the management -- or even low-level operations -- of the business. If anything, perhaps it will be Tata that comes out as most embarrassed in this situation? After all, Tata knows with whom they are dealing in the GoI and what goes on with the home playing field.

Mr Ayci has declined to become CEO of the new AI: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com...w/89918059.cms

Sad picture of todays India :td:

Sad news indeed. I'm sure it will do wonders for the country's investment climate.

Unless you are aligned with bhakts, no top job for you. That's today's India.

Sad reality of today's India.

India has a big enough economy that there will be investment regardless of these minor issues. Is Ayci the only person who can steer AI ? There are others who can lead AI too, and Tata with its international businesses can get someone. Also even if Indigo or Jet 2.0 or SpiceJet or any other big corporation appoints a CEO, who is close to the President from a country which has been hostile to India, same scrutiny will be applied to them too.

This present government gave approval to code sharing of Indigo with TK and now TK code shares with AI too.

If Tata takes a decision to hire a manager the govt shouldn’t intervene. Period.

Well the gov will always have a say sadly, regardless, in India as all proposed CEOs, particularly expat ones, are subject to "security clearances" and approvals by the Home Ministry.

The Turkish candidate for AI's CEO was gracious enough to give Tata a sort of face-saving device by dropping out.

Good enough to get Indian visas approved and visit India, host Indian officials, fly Indian officials, and have his former employer's airline --where he was a big honcho -- be one of the best represented foreign airlines flying low into Indian cities -- including the capital -- and yet not good enough for the Indian Home Ministry's "security clearances"? What a joke from the GoI.

If I had my way, a lot of the people in the Home Ministry wouldn't pass a "security clearance" to even work as a chaprasi for the wandering juta-polishing ones.

Maybe India should look to China to get investment. Given the GoI's ways as of late with regard to the Russian developments in Europe, there is going to be a strategic re-assessment of whether or not anyone really wants to take a chance on propping up India to become the next China or Russia.

Now its Alez Cruz again?

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com...w/90086273.cms


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...aee4d53af4.png

Sounds like Tata is doing the trial-balloon thing after being burned by the government and the government's most rabid cheerleaders.

Will all those who were complaining about the Turkish Airlines' alumni keep quiet when another non-desi is up for the running of the nation's flag carrier?