Air India may hire new COO next January after Gustav Baldauf's resignation

New Delhi: State-run Air India will pick a new chief operating officer (COO) by January and prefer someone from the domestic industry, according to a top executive. The airline's board has also created a post of COO for its low-cost arm, Air India Express.
Cash-strapped Air India has been operating without a COO since February when expatriate Gustav Baldauf, who held the post with a hefty pay package, resigned following difference with the government. "We are looking for professionals from the Indian aviation industry this time and would not prefer to have a foreign national, mainly because you can't pay them anything below Rs 3 crore," Air India chairman and managing director Rohit Nandan said, adding that the new appointment would happen within four months.
AI had appointed three professionals in 2010 - COO Baldauf, chief training officer Stephan Sukumar and Air India Express CEO Pawan Arora - on salaries ranging from Rs1-3 crore to help turn around the organisation.
While Arora was asked to go last November, Baldauf exited early this year followed by Sukumar.
26/09/11 Anindya Upadhyay/Economic Times

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Categories: Air India Sep 2011