Campbell Wilson appointed Air India CEO and MD

Campbell Wilson was on Thursday (May 12) appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Managing Director (MD) of Air India. The Air India board approved the appointment subject to requisite regulatory approvals, Tata Sons announced.

Wilson, 50, has 26 years of aviation industry expertise across both full service and low-cost airlines. He is the CEO of Scoot, the wholly-owned low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA), Tata Sons said in a press release.

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He has already resigned from Scoot and June 15 will be his last day at the airline.

After the appointment, Wilson said, “It is an honour to be selected to lead the iconic Air India and be a part of the highly respected Tata group. Air India is at the cusp of an exciting journey to become one of the best airlines in the world, offering world-class products and services with a distinct customer experience that reflects Indian warmth and hospitality. I am excited to join Air India and Tata colleagues in the mission of realising that ambition.”

He started off as a Management Trainee with SIA in New Zealand in 1996. He then worked for SIA in Canada, Hong Kong, and Japan before returning to Singapore in 2011 as the founding CEO of Scoot, which he led until 2016.

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Wilson then served as the Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing of SIA, where he oversaw Pricing, Distribution, eCommerce, Merchandising, Brand & Marketing, Global Sales, and the airline’s overseas offices, before returning for a second stint as the CEO of Scoot in April 2020.

He holds a Master of Commerce (1st Class Honours) in Business Administration from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

Commenting on the appointment, N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Air India, said, “I am delighted to welcome Campbell to Air India. He is an industry veteran having worked in key global markets cutting across multiple functions. Further, Air India would benefit from his added experience of having built an airline brand in Asia. I look forward to working with him in building a world-class airline.”

On February 14, Ilker Ayci, former chairman of Turkish Airlines, was appointed as Air India’s CEO and MD. However, two weeks later, Ayci declined to join the company stating that some sections of the Indian media attempted to “colour” his appointment with “undesirable colours”.

In January, the Tata Group announced the purchase of Air India from the government. The Tata group took over management and control of the airline, on January 27, after winning the bid to acquire Air India for Rs 18,000 crore.