Air India Appoints Klaus Goersch as New COO & EVP of the Company

Air India has made several significant announcements regarding changes in its management team. They have appointed Capt Klaus Goersch to the newly created role of Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer. In this position, Capt Goersch will oversee Flight Operations, Engineering Ground Operations, Integrated Operations Control (IOCC) and Cabin Crew functions. He is an experienced B777/787 pilot who has previously held similar roles at British Airways and Air Canada. He will be based at Air India’s new headquarters in Gurugram.

The current Chief of Operations, Capt RS Sandhu will transition to an advisory role. He will focus on harmonizing operating procedures across the four Tata airlines, managing the Airbus A350 entry-into-service program and assisting in establishing Air India’s new Training Academy.

Campbell Wilson, CEO & Managing Director of Air India welcomed Capt Goersch highlighting his wealth of knowledge and experience gained from working at renowned airlines. He expressed the airline’s commitment to building strong leadership to elevate Air India in the global aviation industry.

Air India also announced other senior appointments to strengthen its management team. Capt Manish Uppal who recently transitioned from Air Asia India, has been appointed as Senior Vice President Flight Operations. Capt Henry Donohoe’s role in Corporate Safety, Security and Quality will expand to include Emergency Response and will be retitled Senior Vice President Safety, Security, and Quality.

Additionally, several other professionals have joined the team. Mr. Pankaj Handa will lead Ground Operations, Mr. Choorah Singh will serve as Divisional Vice President Integrated Operations Control and Ms. JuLi Ng will take on the role of Divisional Vice President Cabin Crew. They will report to Capt Goersch, along with Capt Uppal and Mr. Sisira Kanta Dash Senior Vice President of Engineering.

Furthermore, the Inflight Product & Service Design function currently led by Mr. Sandeep Verma, will now be part of Mr. Rajesh Dogra’s Customer Experience portfolio, providing oversight of all customer interfaces.

The reporting structure has been clarified, with Capt Goersch , Mr. Dogra and Capt Donohoe reporting directly to Mr. Wilson. Existing Management Committee members, Mr. Nipun Aggarwal, Dr. Satya Ramaswamy, Dr. Suresh Dutt Tripathi and Mr. Vinod Hejmadi will retain their current roles.

These changes aim to manage succession, streamline the organization,  optimize talent within the Tata airline group and position Air India for future growth and success, according to Mr. Wilson.