Former Civil Aviation Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola has joined Air India as Executive Advisor to Chairman N. Chandrasekaran and will serve as a full-time member of the airline’s Management Committee.
Kharola returns to the Tata Group-owned airline after previously serving as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India between 2017 and 2019, when the carrier was under government ownership. Following his tenure at the airline, he was appointed Civil Aviation Secretary, where he played a key role in the government’s airline privatisation process that culminated in the Tata Group acquiring Air India in January 2022.
His appointment comes at a time when Air India is preparing for a leadership transition. The airline is yet to announce a successor to Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson, who is scheduled to step down in August.
Announcing the appointment in an internal communication, Campbell Wilson said, “As Executive Advisor to the Chairman, he will be a full member of Air India’s Management Committee where, with my tenure in its final months, his experience will be invaluable in ensuring a smooth leadership transition.
Kharola is a 1985-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Karnataka cadre and retired as Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, in 2023.
