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Air India CEO Campbell Wilson resigns amid mounting losses; successor to be named
Because of US-Israel-Iran war, Air India has been incurring hefty losses; flight paths have been disrupted, airline also expected to sustain hefty losses due to jet fuel price hikes
- PUBLISHED: Tue 7 Apr 2026, 1:04 PM UPDATED: Tue 7 Apr 2026, 3:10 PM
The CEO and managing director of Air India, Campbell Wilson, has resigned, the airline announced on Tuesday, adding: "Air India Board has constituted a committee that will find the successor in the coming months."
"Mr. Wilson had conveyed his intention to step down in 2026 to Air India chairman N. Chandrasekaran in 2024 and, since then, has been working to ensure the organisation and leadership team is on a stable footing for the transition. He will remain in the role until his successor is announced and in place," the airline statement reads.
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The Air India chairman said: "I wish to record my deep appreciation for Campbell’s leadership and contribution over the past four years... (It) is worth acknowledging the numerous external challenges navigated by the Air India team, including prolonged post-Covid supply chain constraints that have impacted delivery of new aircraft and retrofit programs as well as major geopolitical and other headwinds.
"Campbell and his team have demonstrated tenacity and resolve and have aligned an organisation drawn from many backgrounds behind the shared goal of building the new Air India that is now emerging," Chandrasekaran added.
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Wilson, for his part, said: “Air India’s privatisation has seen the acquisition and successful merger of four airlines... It has seen the complete modernisation of systems, the launch of new physical products, and deployment of elevated service standards on ground and in the air, as well as 100 additional aircraft added to the fleet. The full interior refit of legacy narrowbody aircraft has all-but been completed, with deliveries of widebody aircraft with new custom-designed interiors now underway."
He added: “With these foundational blocks now settling and a brief window until deliveries from the nearly 600-strong aircraft orderbook commence in earnest from 2027, the time is right for me to hand over the reins for the next phase of Air India’s rise.
"It has been a true honour to play a small part in this latest chapter of Air India’s long history, and I will continue to be an enthusiastic supporter of this wonderful organisation and its people," Wilson continued.
Industry concerns
With Wilson, a Singapore Airlines veteran (the Singapore carrier has a 25 per cent stake in Air India), deciding to quit, there are concerns, however, about the fate of the airline, which was taken over by the Tata group from the Indian government in early 2022.
The airline was founded in 1932 by legendary industrialist J.R.D. Tata, but in 1953, the Indian government nationalised the carrier, though Tata remained chairman till 1978.
The past year and couple of months have been terrible for the airline, which saw its London-bound Boeing 787-8 aircraft crash shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12 last year, killing all but one of the 242 people on board.
Following the US-Israel-Iran war, the airline has been incurring hefty losses as its flight paths have been disrupted, with most aircraft having to fly to Europe and the US and Canada, having to take expensive detours over Africa.
With jet fuel prices jumping over the past few weeks, the carrier’s losses are likely to catapult over the coming month. Analysts expect the airline to sustain hefty losses adding up to Rs200 billion (about Dh8 billion) in the current fiscal.
Wilson took over as the head of the airline in July 2022, months after the Tatas bought it from the Indian government. Its low-cost subsidiary, Air India Express also does not have a chief after the former MD’s departure last month at the end of his five-year term. Analysts are worried about the fate of the two airlines in the absence of top bosses. Wilson is expected to continue till a successor is found.
IndiGo has appointed William Walsh, currently the director-general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as CEO. He is expected to take over from August 3, 2026. Pieter Elbers resigned as CEO recently following largescale cancellations of its flights in December 2025, affecting thousands of passengers and 5,000 flights.
