Air India has appointed a new chief executive as the airline grapples with mounting challenges, including heavy financial losses and the fallout from last year's crash that killed 260 people.
Tewolde Gebremariam succeeds Campbell Wilson, who stepped down from the role in April.
Gebremariam was earlier CEO at Ethiopian Airlines, where he worked for over a decade, growing the regional carrier into one of Africa's largest airlines.
Air India, which Tata Group bought from the Indian government in 2022, has been dealing with a period of operational turbulence.
The airline operates a fleet of 198 aircraft, flying nearly 5,000 weekly flights to 91 destinations in India and abroad, according to the Air India website.
Air India said Gebremariam was unanimously chosen by its board after an extensive search, citing his leadership and operational expertise to steer the airline's "next phase of growth".
N. Chandrasekaran, Air India chairman, said: "Having completed the initial phase of stabilisation, integration, and fleet commitments under Campbell's guidance, Air India is now entering a critical execution and expansion era."
Wilson, a former Singapore Airlines executive hired after Tata Group bought Air India nearly four years ago, had signalled in 2024 that he planned to step down in 2026 and had been preparing the airline for a smooth transition.
Aviation experts told the BBC that Gebremariam may be the leader Air India needs, pointing to two defining crises he steered Ethiopian Airlines through: the 2019 Boeing 737 Max crash that killed 157 people and the Covid pandemic, when the airline stayed profitable by expanding its cargo business as passenger revenues collapsed.
"Gebremariam endeared himself to his employees during both these black swan events, especially his backing of the pilots and engineers at Ethiopian," Sanjay Lazar, CEO of Avialaz Consultants, told the BBC.
At Air India, Gebremariam's priorities will include rebuilding workplace culture, lifting employee morale, accelerating delayed fleet expansion and refurbishment, and reshaping the airline's network to stem losses, experts say.
Air India has not said when he will take over, saying details will be announced later.
-BBC
Tewolde Gebremariam succeeds Campbell Wilson, who stepped down from the role in April.
Gebremariam was earlier CEO at Ethiopian Airlines, where he worked for over a decade, growing the regional carrier into one of Africa's largest airlines.
Air India, which Tata Group bought from the Indian government in 2022, has been dealing with a period of operational turbulence.
The airline operates a fleet of 198 aircraft, flying nearly 5,000 weekly flights to 91 destinations in India and abroad, according to the Air India website.
Air India said Gebremariam was unanimously chosen by its board after an extensive search, citing his leadership and operational expertise to steer the airline's "next phase of growth".
N. Chandrasekaran, Air India chairman, said: "Having completed the initial phase of stabilisation, integration, and fleet commitments under Campbell's guidance, Air India is now entering a critical execution and expansion era."
Wilson, a former Singapore Airlines executive hired after Tata Group bought Air India nearly four years ago, had signalled in 2024 that he planned to step down in 2026 and had been preparing the airline for a smooth transition.
Aviation experts told the BBC that Gebremariam may be the leader Air India needs, pointing to two defining crises he steered Ethiopian Airlines through: the 2019 Boeing 737 Max crash that killed 157 people and the Covid pandemic, when the airline stayed profitable by expanding its cargo business as passenger revenues collapsed.
"Gebremariam endeared himself to his employees during both these black swan events, especially his backing of the pilots and engineers at Ethiopian," Sanjay Lazar, CEO of Avialaz Consultants, told the BBC.
At Air India, Gebremariam's priorities will include rebuilding workplace culture, lifting employee morale, accelerating delayed fleet expansion and refurbishment, and reshaping the airline's network to stem losses, experts say.
Air India has not said when he will take over, saying details will be announced later.
-BBC
