Air India Kicks Off Search To Replace CEO Campbell Wilson Amid Persistent Losses
Air India is unlikely to meet a target date of March 31 to break even operationally, a key factor in Wilson's ouster.
The Tata Group has started scouting for a new Chief Executive Officer for Air India as it grows impatient with the carrier’s slow recovery after a deadly crash that killed over 241 passengers and crew last year, people familiar with the matter said.
Current CEO Campbell Wilson, whose contract expires in mid-2027 will not be offered an extension, the people said, asking for anonymity to discuss private decisions. Tata Chairman N. Chandrasekaran has had initial discussions with potential CEO candidates who have experience running large airlines, including those with sizable domestic operations, one of the people said.
Tata Group’s discussions to replace the top leadership at Air India was reported by local newspaper The Economic Times earlier in the day.
Air India is unlikely to meet a target date of March 31 to break even operationally, a key factor in Wilson’s ouster, the people said. The carrier’s turnaround plan was dealt a blow when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed in Ahmedabad in June, the cause of which is still not definitively known.
Representatives for Air India and Tata Group did not immediately respond to an email seeking comments. Campbell Wilson also did not respond to an emailed query.
Announcement of a new CEO will likely come after the crash report on the tragedy is released, sometime by June. The agencies typically have a year after the incident to close their findings.
There’s instability at both of India’s top airlines right now, as larger rival IndiGo awaits the regulatory fallout after mass cancellation of its flights last month — triggered by pilot shortages and software glitches — stranded half a million passengers.
The troubles at the two carriers, which together account for nearly nine out of 10 domestic seats in the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market, is raising concern that India’s infrastructure and regulatory apparatus is not ready for rapid growth in air travel.
External challenges — like supply chain issues that are affecting aircraft deliveries, and Pakistan’s closure of airspace to Indian carriers that have meant longer flying routes — have also impacted Air India’s financial performance.
Current CEO Wilson, 53, joined Air India in July 2022 from Scoot Airlines after the Group’s earlier choice for the job, former Turkish Airlines Chief Ilker Ayci, declined to take up the offer.
Wilson was given the targets of improving the on-board experience for fliers — better seats, in-flight entertainment and food service — plus re-position the airline for profitability and growth after the Tata Group bought it over from the government in 2022.
Air India is 25.1% owned by Singapore Airlines Ltd., which has seen its net income pulled down by the India carrier’s woes. The Singaporean carrier is helping Air India transition aircraft maintenance services in-house as part of its restructuring plan, people familiar with the matter said in August.
