Senior IAS officer Pradeep Singh Kharola to head Air India

Senior IAS officer Pradeep Singh Kharola has been appointed as the new Air India Chairman and Managing Director (CMD).

Presently Kharola heads the Bangalore Metro Rail Ltd as the Managing Director.

He had been an officer in the Karnataka cadre.

Kharola will replace Rajiv Bansal. Bansal had been serving as the interim CMD for the past three months.

He took over as the chief of Airline after Ashwani Lohani was transferred to the Railway Board.

The new appointment has come amidst thegovernment's plan ofprivatising Air India.