AirAsia India has moved closer to getting off the ground by appointing S Ramadorai as its chairman, ending months-long suspense and having in place the entire top management team. A day after getting the Tata Group patriarch Ratan Tata as the chief advisor on Sunday, Air Asia Group chief executive Tony Fernandes has announced the name of Tata Consultancy Services vice-chairman S Ramadorai as the chairman of his proposed low-cost airline venture here.

 

Subramaniyan Ramadorai was also formerly the chief executive of the country's largest software exporter. "I would like to confirm Ramadorai as chairman of AirAsia India, a giant of Indian industry, and man from the South," Fernandes tweeted. "That completes our team. Advisor, chairman, CEO and the board. Quite a heavyweight team for super exciting AirAsia India," Fernandes further tweeted.

 

Ramadorai is the fourth person from the Tatas to hold a position in airline joint venture after Ratan Tata as chief advisor, and R Venkataraman (former executive assistant to Ratan Tata) and Bharat Vasani (chief legal counsel of the Tata Group), who are directors on the board. While Venkataraman was an executive assistant to Ratan Tata, Vasani was the chief legal counsel of the Tata Group.

 

AirAsia India is a joint venture of Air Asia, Tata Sons and Arun Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace with 49:30:21 holding respectively. Last month, Fernandez had named Mittu Chandilya as the CEO.