September 17, 2015 TnH Global

Ashwani Lohani takes over as CMD of Air India

Ashwani Lohani has been appointed the new Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Air India, the national carrier of India.

Lohani took over from Rohit Nandan as new Air India chief. A 1980-batch officer of Indian Railway Service, Lohani will be the CMD of Air India for three years. Prior to his new post, Lohani was Commissioner, Tourism in government of Madhya Pradesh, and Managing Director at Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC).

Lohani has a long and successful experience of running PSUs. He has worked as CMD of India Tourism Development Corporation and MD of Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC). As CMD of ITDC, he turned around loss-making Delhi’s Ashoka Hotel into a profit- making hotel in 2002-3. In his previous stint as MD of MPSTDC in 2004–09, he successfully spearheaded MP Tourism’s promotional campaign “Hindustan Ka Dil Dekho” in 2006, and positioned MP as a key tourist destination in India.

Lohani’s efforts brought many accolades for MP Tourism. The state received four National Tourism Awards in 2008, including the award for the ‘Best tourism performing state in the country’.

Being an officer of Indian Railway Service, Lohani has had long association with the Indian Railways. He worked as the Divisional Railway Manager at Delhi. Then he became the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Northern Railways in July 2012 in Delhi.

In 2013, Lohani was appointed as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Indian Railway Organization for Alternate Fuels. Lohani efforts helped the New Delhi Railway Station get the National Tourism Award.

Lohani is a qualified Mechanical Engineer and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport. During his distinguished career, Lohani has been awarded on various occasions for his remarkable achievements and innovative initiatives. He has been the founder member of the Indian Steam Railway Society.

In April 1996, the Ministry of Railways awarded him with its National Award for Outstanding performance. The Week magazine featured him as “Man of the Week” in its 21st July 2002 issue. Ashwani Lohani has made into the Limca Book of Records in 2007 for holding four different engineering degrees.