Air India Names Tewolde Gebremariam As New CEO

NEW DELHI-Air India on August 5 appointed former Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde Gebremariam as its new Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, succeeding Campbell Wilson as the Tata Group-owned airline enters the next phase of its turnaround and expansion.

Wilson, a former Singapore Airlines executive, became Air India’s CEO and Managing Director in 2022 after the Tata Group acquired the then government-owned carrier. The airline had earlier announced that Wilson was keen to step down and that a search was underway for his successor.

During his more than a decade as CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, Gebremariam led a multi-billion-dollar expansion that transformed the airline into Africa’s largest and most profitable carrier. According to an Air India statement, he grew the group’s revenue more than fourfold and nearly tripled its fleet while building expertise in managing complex airline operations, developing global hub networks, strengthening maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities, and expanding aviation training infrastructure.

“Following an intensive evaluation process, the Air India Board unanimously concluded that Gebremariam possesses the ideal combination of leadership, deep operational expertise, and strategic execution capability required for Air India’s next phase of growth,” the airline said in a statement.

Air India said Gebremariam will work closely with civil aviation authorities and regulators to strengthen India’s position as a global aviation hub, expand international connectivity, and maintain the highest standards of aviation safety and regulatory compliance.

The airline said his experience in expanding long-haul international networks, building world-class hub operations, maintaining strong safety and engineering standards, driving profitability, and developing a high-performance, customer-focused workforce would support Air India’s next phase of growth.

The Air India Board also thanked Wilson for leading the airline’s initial transformation after its return to the Tata Group. The airline credited him with overseeing the merger and integration process, launching fleet modernization programmes, strengthening corporate governance, and laying the foundation for future growth. (IANS)