Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh will take over larger role of the chief of Air India's low-cost airline business comprising of AirAsia India and Air India Express from January 1, 2023, as per the internal communication. The current AirAsia India CEO Sunil Bhaskaran will assume the leadership of a new initiative, an aviation training academy.
Aloke has previously worked in senior positions at Air India and Oman Air.
"The two constituent airlines will continue to have the full complement of regulatory post-holders until the merger is complete but, for now, a single CEO will provide the clarity and singular accountability necessary to navigate the process," Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said in the internal communication.
Air India has already set the operational review process to integrate budget carrier AirAsia India with Air India Express and the merger is likely to be completed by the end of 2023. The merger is aimed at having a single low-cost carrier for the Air India group. Post-merger, the entity will be branded as Air India Express.
AirAsia India was launched in 2014 while Air India Express started operations back in 2005.