AirAsia India MD Amar Abrol quits

Mumbai: Low-cost carrier AirAsia India, which is majority owned by the Tata Group, on Wednesday announced the departure of Amar Abrol as the managing director and chief executive officer effective next month.

"Abrol will be moving back to the AirAsia Group headquarters in Malaysia to work on group strategic projects effective June 2018," AirAsia India said in a statement.

The airline which began operations in June 2014, further said, Abrol had expressed his desire to return to Malaysia to be closer to his family. Abrol is the second CEO after his predecessor Mittu Chandilya to leave the airline abruptly.

Chandilya, the high-street headhunter heading Egon Zehnder International's Asia Pacific operations and part-time model, who was handpicked by Air Asia group founder and chief executive Tony Fernandes himself, had to quit the company early February 2016 after a string of allegations surfaced including financial fraud under his nose and is now suing the ex-employer and auditor Deloitte for allegedly damaging his reputation.

During Abrol's time, the airline has expanded its fleet to 18 from six and the people and network by three-folds.