The managing director of Air India Express, Air India’s low-cost unit, will step down on March 19 after five years in the role, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Monday.
MD Aloke Singh said in the memo the carrier has grown to become India’s third-largest narrow-body operator, with more than 100 aircraft and about 8,300 employees.
“Together, we have taken the airline through a period of defining transformation – navigating an intricate merger, a complex integration, creating a new brand, growing fleet four-fold – propelling the airline from a sub-scale, niche player to India’s 3rd largest narrow-body operator…,” Singh told employees in the memo.
He did not name a successor but said Captain Hamish Maxwell, who previously served as an adviserto the MD, will take over as accountable manager, a regulatory role responsible for ensuring the airline’s safety oversight and operational standards.
Air India Express did not respond to a Reuters’ request for comment.
The carrier is expected to report an operating profit in the second half of this fiscal year, its first since being acquired by Tata Group in 2022, boosted by an increase in capacity and higher market share.
The airline, which operates more than 100 Boeing BA.N and Airbus AIR.PA narrow-body jets, is targeting a doubling of its capacity in the next four to five years, with expansion plans for a fleet of more than 200 aircraft.
Singh joined the airline in 2020, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic upended global aviation, and later led the low-cost unit through its integration with the AirAsia India business following the Tata Group’s takeover of Air India.
Air India, which is owned by Tata Group and Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI, has been struggling to rebuild its reputation and international network, and replace its ageing fleet that has been hobbled by supply chain delays.
Reuters
