Tewolde Gebremariam takes charge as Air India CEO
The former Ethiopian Airlines chief succeeds Campbell Wilson as Tata Group’s Air India focuses on safety, customer trust, operational execution, fleet renewal and financial discipline.
What happened
Tewolde Gebremariam has assumed charge as Air India CEO, succeeding Campbell Wilson. The Tata Group airline is prioritising safety, customer trust, operational
Key facts
- 36 years at Ethiopian Airlines
- 11 years as Ethiopian Airlines group chief executive
- Air India regained Tata Group control in 2022
- June 2025 AI171 crash
- 157 fatalities in Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash
- hundreds of aircraft ordered
Why this matters
Gebremariam’s international airline experience may accelerate partnership, fleet and network decisions as Air India positions itself as a scaled global competitor.
What to watch
- CEO's first strategic plan, leadership appointments and stated operating targets.
- Monthly on-time performance, cancellation rates, baggage performance and customer complaint trends.
- Safety audit results, maintenance incidents and regulator engagement.
- Progress on aircraft deliveries, retirements, cabin upgrades and leasing commitments.
- Corporate account wins, premium-cabin load factors and international market-share movement.
- Evidence of cost reduction, cash-flow improvement and narrowing losses.
- Prioritize safety governance, maintenance reliability and disruption-response metrics in the first 100 days.
- Reassess network profitability, with particular focus on long-haul routes, connecting hubs and loss-making capacity.
- Tighten fleet-renewal sequencing, aircraft financing and cabin retrofit execution.
- Standardize service delivery across Air India entities and accelerate systems, loyalty and workforce integration.
- Use improved schedule reliability to rebuild corporate-travel contracts, premium-cabin demand and partner confidence.