Campbell Wilson has stepped down as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Air India. He will remain in his role until the airline finds a successor. Wilson's original five-year term was scheduled to end in 2027. His resignation marks a significant leadership change for the Tata Group-owned airline.
Leadership Transition Underway
Wilson conveyed his decision to resign to the Air India board. The Tata Group has already begun actively searching for his replacement. This search process is expected to take three to six months. Wilson joined Air India in July 2022, months after Tata Sons reacquired the airline from the government in January 2022. The conglomerate paid ₹18,000 crore, or approximately US$2.4 billion, for the carrier.[peoplematters+8]
Wilson's Tenure and Transformation Efforts
During his time as CEO, Wilson led Air India through the initial phases of its turnaround strategy. He launched a comprehensive five-year transformation plan called "Vihaan.AI". This plan aimed to overhaul the airline's fleet, technology, service quality, and network expansion. Key initiatives included refurbishing planes and overhauling the engineering department.[aviationa2z]
One notable achievement under Wilson's leadership was the smooth completion of the Vistara merger into Air India. This consolidation saw Singapore Airlines become a 25.1% shareholder in Air India, with Tata Sons retaining 74.9%. The airline also expanded its fleet and, at times, briefly surpassed rival IndiGo on certain metro routes.[aviationa2z+4]
Financially, Air India's standalone revenue increased by 13% to ₹61,080 crore in fiscal year 2025. The airline also managed to reduce its standalone losses from ₹5,031 crore to ₹3,976 crore during Wilson's tenure. Standalone borrowings, excluding lease liabilities, fell over 8% to ₹29,713 crore from ₹32,465 crore in fiscal year 2024.[aviationa2z+1]
Challenges Faced by the Airline
Despite these efforts, Wilson's tenure was marked by significant challenges. Air India has grappled with persistent losses and heightened regulatory scrutiny. Global supply chain problems slowed the transformation plan, leading to delays in aircraft deliveries and refurbishment of older planes. These issues affected service quality and punctuality, particularly on long-haul routes to Europe and North America.[channelnewsasia+2]
The airline also faced intense scrutiny following a major aviation incident in June 2025. A London-bound Air India flight crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, resulting in 241 fatalities out of 242 people on board. This incident led to increased inspections and a temporary grounding of several aircraft, straining operations. Regulatorsalso reprimanded Air India for safety lapses, including flying an aircraft eight times without an airworthiness certificate and operating planes without checking emergency equipment.[aviationa2z+6]
Geopolitical conflicts, such as the war in West Asia, compounded challenges for Air India. These conflicts led to airspace restrictions, forcing the airline to take longer routes with fuel stops. This significantly increased operational costs, especially on international routes.[channelnewsasia+2]
Air India's low-cost subsidiary, Air India Express, also experienced difficulties. Its revenue rose 26% year-on-year to ₹16,033 crore in fiscal year 2025. However, itslosses expanded more than fourfold to ₹5,822 crore during the same period. The subsidiary's debt, excluding lease liabilities, jumped 61% to ₹10,087 crore.[hindustantimes+2]
Search for New Leadership Continues
The Tata Group had already begun exploring a succession plan for Air India earlier this year. This signals a planned leadership transition. Air India Express has also been without a managing director since March 2026, following Aloke Singh's departure. This leaves boththe parent airline and its budget arm without permanent chief executives during a critical phase of restructuring.[peoplematters+7]
The search for a new Air India CEO is ongoing. Industry insiders suggest the airline needs a leader with strong credibility and global experience in running a complex full-service carrier. Familiarity with low-cost operations is also considered important. The new leader will face the task of completing Air India's ambitious transformation program amidst ongoing operational and financial hurdles.[thequint+1]
