The Tata Group has appointed former Turkish Airlines Chairman Ilker Ayci as the new CEO and CEO of Air India.

Ilker Ayci has been the president of Turkish Airlines since 2015, and the airline announced his resignation on January 27 this year – the same day as Tatas Air India delivered by center.

During his career, Ayci was an advisor to the then Mayor of Istanbul Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul, where he was involved in a number of development projects in Turkey’s largest city. Erdogan is currently the president of Turkey.

“The Board of Directors of Air India met this afternoon to consider the nomination of Mr. Ilkir Aiji. Mr. N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, was a special invitee to this Board meeting. The Board of Directors, after necessary deliberations, approved the appointment of Mr. Ilker Aiji as Chairman This appointment is subject to required regulatory approvals, the Tata Group said in a statement.

Ayci was born in Istanbul in 1971. He is a 1994 graduate of Bilkent University’s Department of Political Science and Public Administration, according to a statement by the Tata Group. After a research residency in Political Science at the University of Leeds in the UK in 1995, he completed an MA in International Relations at Marmara University in Istanbul in 1997.

“Ilker is a pioneer in the aviation industry who has led Turkish Airlines to its current success during his tenure there. We are delighted to welcome Ilker to the Tata Group as he will lead Air India into the new era.