Bengaluru airport COO Thomas Hoff Andersson resigns over 'personal' reasons

BENGALURU: Chief operating officer (COO) of Bengaluru airport, Thomas Hoff Andersson has resigned from his post citing personal reasons. The Swedish national, who completed one year at work in April, announced his decision on social media and stated that he is returning home after his last working day in the city on August 31, 2020.

According to sources with the

Kempegowda International Airport

(KIA), the sudden announcement of the COO’s resignation came as a big shock to his colleagues, who expressed their disappointment on

LinkedIn

. With over 20 years experience in aviation industry, Andersson joined

the Bangalore International Airport Limited

(BIAL), that runs KIA, in April 2019 and remained instrumental in commissioning of the

second runway

of the

KIA

and the ongoing work of the second terminal.

On his LinkedIn profile, the COO said recently: “Time for change. I have decided to move back to Scandinavia and will forever be grateful for the opportunity to work with an exceptional team at Bangalore International Airport. Some of the highlights during my time in India include commissioning of a new runway,

Skytrax

award for best regional airport in India and Central Asia, five ASQ awards and implementation of the world’s first contactless passenger journey at a major airport. BIAL is a truly great organisation full of fantastic people. Thank you India, thank you Bangalore and thank you BIAL for giving me memories for life.”

In an official statement to TOI, a BIAL spokesperson said Thomas Hoff Andersson’s will serve as their COO till August 31, 2020 and is moving back to Sweden for personal reasons.

The Covid angle

According to some senior sources in the KIA, Andersson’s abrupt exit is believed to be due to the escalating Covid situation in Bengaluru city as he wants to return to his home in Europe as soon as possible. However, the BIAL spokesperson refused to comment on the matter. Andersson too didn’t respond to an email query on it.

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