Tata Sons taps former civil aviation secretary to steady Air India amid regulatory pressure

Tata Sons has brought former civil aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola on board as an advisor for its aviation business as it steps up efforts to stabilise and revive Air India, an Economic Times report said on Tuesday. Kharola, a 1985-batch IAS officer, is expected to play a pivotal role in strengthening Air India's engagement with the government at a time when the airline is facing increased regulatory scrutiny and leadership uncertainty. The Economic Times earlier reported that the Tata Group has initiated the search for a successor to CEO Campbell Wilson. Neither Tata Sons nor Air India responded to queries from The Economic Times regarding Kharola's appointment, while Kharola himself declined to comment on his new role. Kharola served as civil aviation secretary between February 2019 and September 2021 and oversaw the privatisation process that culminated in the Tata Group's takeover of Air India in January 2022. He also previously held the position of Air India chairman. The Economic Times noted that his appointment comes amid heightened oversight of Air India's operations following last year's Boeing 787 crash that claimed 260 lives. A preliminary probe has not attributed the accident to faults in the aircraft or the airline's engineering practices. Parliamentary data cited by The Economic Times showed that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued 84 show-cause notices to Air India over the past two years, while its low-cost arm Air India Express received 65. In comparison, IndiGo, despite having nearly double the fleet size, received 98 notices. The DGCA recently fined Air India for operating an aircraft eight times without a valid airworthiness permit and held CEO Wilson accountable for the lapse. Sources told The Economic Times that Kharola was handpicked by Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran and has been closely involved in sensitive government interactions and safety reviews, particularly after the crash. Aviation remains a heavily regulated sector, with airlines dependent on government approvals for key operational matters, including Air India's request to use Chinese airspace to offset losses stemming from restrictions on flying through Pakistani airspace.