New Delhi: The Indian government, on Wednesday, has appointed the former Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani, 60, as the chairman and managing director (CMD) of Air India, for the second time within two years.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment.
Before this, Mr Lohani served in Air India from August 2015 to August 2017 and during this tenure he helped pilot the organisation with a financial operating profit.
After that, Mr Lohani, successfully completed his one year tenure as the Railway Board chairman in the year 2018. He was an officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers (IRSME).
Throwing some light on his successful career, Lohani is the brain behind India’s much talked about ‘Train 18’ – the fastest train awaiting its maiden run from Delhi to Varanasi and will be set up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 15. And speaking about the much expected bullet train, the credit again goes to Mr Lohani, as he was the person to welcome the concept in India, when serving as the top administrative official of the Indian Railways.
He is a person who strongly opposes pompous occasions and as Railway Board chairman, one of his first decisions was to forbid gifts and ceremonial welcomes and farewells.
The employees who have worked with him, say in his repution, occupying the top most position in both – Railways and Air India – he aptly handeled the gap between his office and employees and for this he relied upon WhatsApp groups mostly.
Mr Lohani, carrying a degree in Mechanical Engineering, was also ITDC chairman as well as director of the Rail Museum in New Delhi.
