Applications pour in for post of Air India COO

New Delhi: Air India’s bloated debt and losses in excess of $1 billion (Rs4,630 crore) looming in the current fiscal year haven’t deterred at least 140 top global airline executives from throwing their hat into the ring for the post of chief operating officer, or COO, at the national carrier.
The airline had advertised in September in The Economist magazine and the Financial Times newspaper for a COO to work with chairman and managing director (CMD) Arvind Jadhav to implement a three-year turnaround plan.
“There are NRIs (non-resident Indians) from all over, expats and several others. We have to shortlist the candidates and call them for interviews,” said a senior government official familiar with the process who asked not to be named.
Apart from stemming losses, recasting Rs16,000 crore debt and trying to pay for much-needed planes to bolster an ageing fleet, the COO will need to fight with entrenched unions opposed to plans for cost-cutting. The loss expectation for this year matches the figure for last fiscal.
Several COOs and vice-presidents from European, American, Australian and Caribbean carriers are among those vying for the job, which includes completing the integration of domestic carrier Indian Airlines with Air India.
“It was a fairly good response,” said another official familiar with the process and who too didn’t want to be named. The names of prospective COOs cannot be disclosed because most are employed with various airlines and the process is still underway, the official said.
Air India, with more than 30,000 employees, had sought applications from candidates with a background in aviation or with a record of turning around an organization of at least 10,000 workers.
18/11/09 Tarun Shukla/Live Mint

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Categories: Foreign Nov 2009, NACIL Nov 2009