Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong held meetings with Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran and other senior executives on Thursday. Both sides are believed to have detailed discussions on loss-making Air India. Goh Choon Phong arrived at the Bombay House, the headquarters of the Tata Group, on Thursday morning and left in the evening.
Tata Group acquired Air India from the Indian government in January 2022, and later Singapore Airlines purchased a 25.1 per cent stake in the airline.
A source said that he met Chandrasekaran, who is also the Air India Chairman, and other senior executives. Details about the meetings with the Tata Group executives could not be immediately ascertained.
The meeting assumes significance against the backdrop of Air India facing multiple headwinds, including spiralling operating costs due to the airspace curbs in the wake of the West Asia conflict and the closure of Pakistan airspace for nearly a year now.
These restrictions have forced the airline, which is in the midst of an ambitious transformation plan, to take longer routes for long-haul international flights, resulting in increased fuel burn and higher expenses.
Earlier this month, Air India announced that its CEO and MD Campbell Wilson will be stepping down, and the airline is looking for a new chief. Also, the fatal AI171 plane crash in Ahmedabad last June that killed 260 people has significantly impacted the loss-making carrier.
According to another source, the airline is expected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 31, 2026. Air India's performance has been causing financial headwinds for Singapore Airlines.
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