THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government reappointed former Air India Chairman V Thulasidas as the Managing Director of Kannur International Airport (KIAL) for a third term. He will replace P Bala Kiran who also holds the post of Tourism Director. The appointment order issued on March 14 states Thulasidas is appointed for a period of three years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Thulasidas was the first MD of KIAL and his reappointment comes at a time when the airport is set for a formal launch.
Considered an expert in the aviation sector, successive state governments have been keeping the chair warm for him. However, his previous appointments were fraught with controversies and he had quit the post twice. He relinquished the MD post last year after facing a CBI investigation on deals he had made as Air India head, during his tenure between 2003 and 2008. The CBI probed the purchase of 111 aircraft for `70,000 crore as well as the alleged irregularities in the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines.
He had then also resigned from Executive Director post at the Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology. Thulasidas, as founding MD, offered to quit in September 2012 following controversies over KIAL signing consultancy agreement with a blacklisted firm STUP Consultants.
Amidst the controversy, he resigned in April 2013 citing a private assignment.