April 07, (THEWILL) — Air India CEO and Managing Director, Campbell Wilson, has announced his resignation, ending a nearly four-year tenure leading the Tata Group-owned airline through a sweeping post-privatisation transformation.
Wilson, a New Zealand national with over 25 years of experience at Singapore Airlines, joined Air India in July 2022. He had informed Air India Chairman, N. Chandrasekaran, of his intention to step down as early as 2024.
Confirming his resignation on Tuesday, April 7, Air India said Wilson will continue in his role until the airline’s board appoints a successor, with a search committee already formed to identify the next leader.
Under his leadership, Air India achieved significant milestones. The airline successfully merged four carriers into its current group structure, expanded its fleet by more than 100 aircraft, and nearly completed narrowbody cabin retrofits. Widebody aircraft deliveries featuring custom-designed interiors have also commenced. Wilson oversaw substantial investments in training and maintenance infrastructure, including the creation of South Asia’s largest aviation training academy and a greenfield MRO base.
Wilson described his resignation as a natural transition point, noting the period before deliveries from Air India’s nearly 600-aircraft order book begin arriving in volume from 2027.
Chairman Chandrasekaran commended Wilson’s resilience in navigating a challenging operating environment.
“He has steered the airline through prolonged post-COVID supply chain constraints, delays in aircraft deliveries and retrofits, and major geopolitical headwinds”, Chandrasekaran said.
Wilson’s tenure was not without challenges. Air India and its low-cost subsidiary, Air India Express, posted a combined loss of 98 billion rupees ($1.05 billion) in fiscal 2024–2025, and the airline is projected to face even larger losses in the current financial year. The airline has also been under sustained scrutiny following the crash of Flight AI171 on June 12, 2025, when a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner went down shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, claiming 260 lives.
The crash, still under investigation, remains the first fatal hull loss of a Boeing 787 and the deadliest aviation disaster of the 2020s.
Operational challenges were further compounded by Pakistan’s closure of its airspace to Indian carriers, forcing costly long-haul reroutings, alongside wider regional instability linked to ongoing Middle East conflicts.
Wilson’s background is primarily in low-cost aviation. He was the founding CEO of Scoot, Singapore Airlines’ budget subsidiary, serving two separate stints, and previously held the position of senior vice president of sales and marketing at Singapore Airlines. In a June 2025 interview with AeroTime, Wilson highlighted India’s potential for aviation growth, noting that per capita air travel in the country remains far below that of comparable markets.
His resignation coincides with other leadership changes in India’s airline industry, including the recent appointment of former IATA chief, Willie Walsh, as the next CEO of rival carrier, IndiGo, signalling a broader wave of executive transitions across the sector.
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