Naresh Goyal

Naresh Goyal was born in Sangrur, Punjab in 1949 in the house of a jewellery dealer. His father died when he was a child. He studied up to sixth standard at Govt. Raj High School for Boys. When he was eleven years old, his family went through an economic crisis and his house was auctioned. He then lived with his mother's uncle. Goyal holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Govt. Bikram College of Commerce, Patiala.

In 1967, Goyal began his career as a cashier in his maternal uncle Seth Charan Das Ram Lal's travel agency, East West Agencies, at a starting salary of Rs 300 a month. After graduating in Commerce, Goyal joined the travel business with the GSA for Lebanese International Airlines.

From 1967 to 1974, he underwent extensive training in the travel business through his association with several foreign airlines. He travelled overseas extensively on business during this period.

In 1969, he was appointed the public relations manager of Iraqi Airways and from 1971 to 1974 was the regional manager for ALIA, Royal Jordanian Airlines. He also worked with the Indian offices of Middle East Airlines (MEA), where he gained experience in various areas including ticketing, reservations and sales. in 1974, with £500 from his mother, he set up his own agency named Jetair, representing the likes of Air France, Austrian Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

In 1975, he was appointed regional manager of Philippines Airlines in India.

Naresh Goyal stepped down from the Board of Jet Airways along with his wife Anita Goyal on 25 March 2019 amid a financial crisis in the airline and after two-thirds of the fleet grounded.

He was stopped from flying away in 2019.

Goyal met his wife, Anita, after she joined the company in 1979 as a marketing analyst and rose to become the head of marketing and sales. They married nine years later. The couple together have a daughter and a son. Anita died in Mumbai aged 70 following a long battle with cancer in May, 2025.

September 2023 arrest

Goyal was arrested by the ED in September 2023 after questioning him for 8 to 10 hours. An FIR had been filed against Goyal based on a complaint by Canara Bank.