Air India to get 'regular person' as CMD, Bansal to serve as interim head

New Delhi: The government will be taking steps to appoint a "regular person" to the post of Chairman and Managing Director of Air India, civil aviation secretary R N Choubey said here on Wednesday.

He said this on the sidelines of an event organised by ASSOCHAM when asked about additional charge of Air India CMD being given to Additional Secretary and financial advisor in the petroleum ministry Rajiv Bansal for a period of three months.

"It was an interim arrangement and the government will certainly be taking steps to post a regular person as CMD of Air India," Choubey told reporters.

The change of guard at Air India has happened at a time the Union Cabinet has approved privatisation of the national carrier and a group of ministers is preparing a strategy to chart out the future course of action.

Bansal replaced Ashwani Lohani who was promoted as Chairman, Railway Board in the aftermath of several train derailments.