Jeh Wadia steps down as Managing Director of GoAir

Jeh Wadia has stepped down as Managing Director of the low-cost carrier (LCC) GoAir, while industry veteran Ben Baldanza has joined its board as vice-chairman.

The airline, in a statement, said Ben Baldanza, who has been an advisor to the company since 2018 and director since 2019, has been appointed as Vice-Chairman of the board.

Baldanza is an airline industry veteran of several decades, having worked in American Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines among others, before becoming the CEO of Spirit Airlines in 2006.

Baldanza, as Vice-Chairman, will now work directly with the management team, comprising of Kaushik Khona - CEO and Pankaj Chaturvedi - CFO, in the next growth phase of GoAir into making it India's first ULCC.

"I am excited to be part of GoAir's next stage of the journey. This gives me the opportunity to apply my years of airline experience in the vibrant and fast-growing market of India to create enduring value for all stakeholders," Baldanza said.

Speaking on behalf of the promoter family, Chairman Nusli Wadia said: "We are happy that Ben has accepted the position of Vice-Chairman. His experience in creating the first ULCC in the US, turning it profitable and successfully leading its IPO are of great value, as GoAir embarks on the next phase of its growth journey."

"With the goal of taking GoAir to its next phase of growth, the promoters of the company and its Board came together to formulate a long-term plan. Amongst other initiatives, a key element of this plan, forged over weeks of discussions and consultation, was to further strengthen the management of the company by bringing on-board proven industry professionals, a strategy that has worked well for the group in its other ventures including Britannia," read the company statement.

( With inputs from ANI )