Air India Group announces management changes ahead of Vistara merger

Air India Group on Friday announced several management changes amid the merger of the airline with Vistara, scheduled on November 12.

Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer of Vistara who has also been holding the role of Chief Integration Officer for the full-service airlines’ merger, will continue in the latter role post-merger. He will also be a member of the Management Committee and report directly to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson.

Deepak Rajawat, Chief Commercial Officer of Vistara, will take up the Chief Financial Officer role at newly-enlarged Air India Express, reporting to CEO Aloke Singh. He will also support Group CFO Sanjay Sharma in strategic initiatives and projects.



Consequently, Vikas Agarwal, the current CFO of Air India Express, will move to a new role in Air India.

Capt Hamish Maxwell, SVP Flight Operations of Vistara, has assumed an advisory role to Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh, while Capt Pushpinder Singh, Chief Operations Officer of Air India Express, returns to flying.

A successor for Capt Singh will be announced in due course.

Deepa Chadha and Vinod Bhatt, SVP HR & Corporate Affairs and Chief Information Officer of Vistara respectively, will take on senior roles at other Tata group companies.

Niyant Maru, who had continued beyond his superannuation date to see through the completion of the merger, will retire at the end of his current term.


All other Air India Group CXO roles and reporting lines roles remain unchanged.

Announcing these transitions, Campbell Wilson, CEO and MD, Air India said, “Over the past two years the four Tata airlines have worked hard to prepare for and execute one of the most complex mergers in aviation history, consolidating from four airlines to two in the context of dramatic growth and wholesale transformation. As we now approach the end of that process, we are delighted to formalise a Group leadership comprising colleagues from all four antecedent airlines to drive the next phase of our journey. I would also like to acknowledge those who, whether retiring or taking up other roles within the Tata group, have contributed so significantly not just to the consolidation process but, over many years, to the DNA of what is now the new Air India.”

Air India-Vistara merger

Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, is set to merge with Air India on November 12 as part of the Tatas consolidating their airline business. Air India Express completed the merger of AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India, with itself this month.

Following the merger, SIA will own 25.1 per cent stake in merged Air India with an investment of more than Rs 2,000 crore.

“We are immensely grateful to all our customers for their support and patronage over the last 10 years. As we progress further in our growth journey, we want to emphasize that this merger is about offering them more choice with a larger fleet and a wider network, while elevating the overall travel experience," said Vinod Kannan, Vistara CEO.

The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the merger in June this year after Singapore's competition regulator CCCS gave a conditional nod for the proposed deal in March.

In September 2023, the deal received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI), subject to certain conditions.