Air India Hunting For A New CEO?

The CEO of Air India has been in the eye of the storm ever since the airlines Dreamliner crashed in Ahmedabad last year that killed 260 passengers. Since then there have been rumours from time to time that the New Zealander Cambell Wilson may be asked to go. His management and planning skills have not impressed the Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran. He has been criticised for his inability to execute agreed plans and not being able to fight problems. The airline has received show cause notices from the DGCA for alleged violations and non-compliances, which includes operation of an aircraft with an expired license as per reports.  Air India and Air India Express together have already reported a loss of Rs 10,859 crore in FY25 on revenue of Rs 78,636 crore. This has made them the biggest loss-making companies within the Tata Group. Wilson’s term runs till June 2027 but will he continue till then? The big rumour going around is Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekhar is thinking of replacing Air India CEO. Wilson, it may be recalled, was picked as CEO  for Air India because of his proven track record with Singapore Airlines including Scoot, the world’s best long haul low cost carrier. Besides, his exposure to sales and marketing functions.