Tata Group planning to replace Air India CEO Campbell Wilson: Report
The group chairman N Chandrasekaran is reportedly unhappy with the slow pace of change, more than 3 years into the transformation plan, as Air India remains the biggest loss-making Tata firm
Air India may see a leadership change at the top in the near future as Tata Sons has reportedly initiated a search to find a replacement for the current CEO Campbell Wilson.
Tata Group chairman N Chandrasekaran has held talks with the chief executives of at least two large airlines based in the United States and the United Kingdom, according to a report by The Economic Times, quoting sources.
The group is apparently considering a change of guard at Air India Express as well.
The tenures of Air India CEO Campbell Wilson and Aloke Singh, the CEO of Air India Express, are set to end in 2027.
Slow pace of change
According to the sources, Chandrasekaran, who is also the chairman of Air India, is unhappy with the current pace of execution and implementation of changes at the airline.
Campbell Wilson, from New Zealand, joined Air India as CEO in July 2022. He drew up a five-year-plan to transform the airline, that had been acquired by the Tata Group from the government of India, and to improve its financial health.
During the past three-and-a-half years, Wilson has managed to effect some important changes.
Vistara was merged into Air India quite successfully. The airline has expanded its fleet of aircraft and capacity. In fact, Air India even beat the market leader IndiGo on certain metro routes.
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However, the pace of transformation has been slowed by global supply chain problems. The delay in deliveries of aircraft by the manufacturers and in the restoration of older planes in the Air India fleet have affected the service quality and the on-time performance.
International flights to North America and Europe were especially affected.
Wilson was quoted as saying that “we should have received 28 brand new aircraft by now, but the actual number of new aircraft designed by and for Air India that we have received is zero”.
Impact of Ahmedabad crash
The Air India plane crash last year in Ahmedabad that killed 260 people brought the airline under the focus of regulatory authorities.
Though the preliminary investigation did not find any faults in the aircraft or in Air India’s engineering operations, the fact that senior officials in the government preferred to deal with the top leadership of the Tata Group instead of with Campbell Wilson is seen as having an impact on his role.
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The airline also received show-cause notices from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for other alleged violations and non-compliance.
Financial stress
The financial pressure faced by Air India has not helped Wilson’s case.
The closure of Pakistani airspace has forced longer routes for Indian flights, and this has naturally resulted in higher costs.
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The two airlines, Air India and Air India Express, have together reported a huge loss of Rs 10,859 crore in the financial year 2025, giving them the unenviable distinction of being the biggest loss-making companies in the Tata Group.
Chandrasekaran is now probably looking for a person who can force the pace of change in the organisation and guide the airline during the next phase of growth and reduced losses, if not profitability.