Vikram Dev Dutt named Air India's new CMD

New Delhi: Senior bureaucrat Vikram Dev Dutt was on Tuesday named as the new Chairman and Managing Director of Air India.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved Dutt's appointment as the CMD of Air India in the rank and pay of an Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

At present, Dutt, a 1993 batch IAS officer, is based in his UT cadre. He succeeds Rajiv Bansal, who is currently the Union Civil Aviation Secretary.

"Shri Vikram Dev Dutt, lAS (UT:93), presently in the cadre, has been appointed Chairman and Managing Director, Air India Ltd, Ministry of Civil Aviation, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary," ACC said in an order on Tuesday.

The appointment comes before the likely take-over of the airline's management by the Tata Group under the Centre's divestment programme.

Presently, Tata Group has entered into a share purchase agreement with the government for buying out the latter's stake in Air India, Air India Express and AISATS.

Tata Sons' subsidiary Talace emerged as the highest bidder for the national carrier under the divestment process.