Senior IAS officer Rajiv Bansal takes charges as Air India CMD

New Delhi, Aug 24 Senior IAS officer Rajiv Bansal today assumed charge as the interim Chairman and Managing Director of Air India.

Bansal replaces Ashwani Lohani, who has expected office as Railway Board Chairman.

Lohani, who was in charge for almost two years, gave over the Air India CMD charge to Bansal.

Not long after assuming office, Bansal held meetings with senior authorities of the national carrier. His arrangement comes when the legislature is working on the modalities for the disinvestment of the ailing Air India.

Bansal, Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor at the petroleum ministry, was selected Air India's interim CMD on Wednesday.

A Nagaland framework IAS officer, he has prior served for around two years at the civil aviation ministry.

The airline, which has an obligation weight of more than Rs 50,000 crore, turned operationally productive in 2015-16 for the first time in a decade.