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Air India and Air India Express could have new Chief Executive Officers in the next 12 to 18 months, India’s leading economic daily, The Economic Times, reported on Monday.
The Economic Times report adds that N Chandrasekaran, the Group Chairman of Tata Sons, had held discussions with two leading US and UK-based international airline CEOs to take over from Campbell Wilson, a citizen of New Zealand, who took over as CEO of Air India in July 2022. Before taking over the top spot in Air India, Wilson was working with Singapore Airlines’ subsidiary Scoot. He has had a long career with Singapore Airlines.
The report adds that Wilson has made it clear to the Board that he does not want an extension when his term expires in June next year. The report also states that Aloke Singh, the CEO of AI Express, is also being replaced.
Wilson has not had an easy tenure at Air India
Wilson’s tenure in Air India has had its ups and downs. Under Wilson, Air India placed an order for 470 aircraft for the Indian carrier. It followed that up with a follow-up order for 100 more aircraft, including 90 A320 family aircraft and 10 A350 aircraft. The large aircraft order is part of its turnaround strategy, which the airline’s new management has undertaken to regain market share in both domestic and international markets.
The initial order of 470 aircraft placed in 2023 included 250 Airbus aircraft and the remaining to come from Boeing. The order included 20 A350-900 and another 20 A350-1000, 20 787s, and 10 Boeing 777-9s. The airline also ordered narrow-body aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus in 2023.
Air India suffers its first Boeing 787 crash
It was under Wilson’s leadership that Air India witnessed one of its worst crashes when, in June last year, a Boeing 787 on a flight from the western Indian town of Ahmedabad to Gatwick, London, crashed within a few minutes of take off, killing over 270 people, including some on the ground.
There was only one survivor of the crash, who was a passenger on the aircraft. Incidentally, the Air India crash was the first involving a Boeing 787.
Supply chain issues affect the airline
Wilson and his team’s best efforts to get the airline back to its premier status met with continuous headwinds. The airline faced supplier delays, as did many other global airlines. It also benefited from the way international politics has been played out in the past few years.
With China and Russia under sanctions from the West, Air India was able to acquire brand-new aircraft that were supposed to go to Chinese and Russian airlines.
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