Thakiyudeen Abdul Wahid | |
|---|---|
| Born | Odayam village, Trivandrum, India |
| Died | 13 November 1995 |
| Cause of death | Murder |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | founding the East-West Airlines |
Thakiyudeen Abdul Wahid was an Indian entrepreneur and aviator. He was the Founder and Managing Director of the now-defunct East-West Airlines, the first scheduled private airline in the country. He was murdered on 13 November 1995. [1] [2]
Wahid was born in Odayam village at Edava near Trivandrum in Kerala on 28th December 1952. He had a modest educational background and studied till 9th grade. [3] [4] His father Abdul Wahid Musliar was a dried fish merchant and mother Salma Beevi a house wife.
He was a drop out from Sree Narayana College Kollam and began his Pravasi life through association with Ahmed Mansoor Al Aali (AMA Group) of Bahrain. He started a recruitment agency in 1980's for this entity in Bombay.
He began his business career with a travel agency with his brothers in Dadar, Mumbai to recruit manpower to Gulf countries. He started East-West Airlines in 1992 when the Indian Government reformed the airline industry by its "open skies policy". [5] East-West Airlines commenced commercial operations on 28 February 1992. [6]
The airline shut down its operations in 1996 after his death in 1995. [7] [8]
Wahid was shot dead on 13 November 1995 near his office in Mumbai. [9]