India

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson Resigns

Is Campbell Wilson leaving Air India on a high note or abandoning a troubled airline?

Published APR 7

Story

Above: Former Air India CEO Campbell Wilson at CAPA India, in New Delhi, India, on Mar. 20, 2023. Image credit: Prakash Singh/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Facts

Campbell Wilson, the CEO and Managing Director of Air India, resigned on Tuesday, with the airline confirming that Wilson had informed Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran of his intention to step down as early as 2024.
Air India
Bloomberg
The Economic Times
Wilson, who Air India first appointed on a five-year contract in 2022, is scheduled to remain in his role until a successor is named. The Air India board has formed a committee to find a replacement "in the coming months."
Air India
MINT
Air India
In a statement, Wilson cited a "brief window" before deliveries began from the airline's nearly 600-strong aircraft orderbook in 2027 as a key reason for his departure, stating "the time is right for me to hand over the reins for the next phase of Air India's rise."
Air India
Chandrasekaran, meanwhile, credited Wilson's leadership and his team with helping the airline navigate post-COVID supply chain disruptions affecting Air India's orders for new aircraft and retrofit programs, as well as other headwinds and geopolitical pressures.
Air India
The announcement comes amid growing financial burdens on the company, with Tata, which acquired the airline from the Indian government in 2022, reporting losses for the Air India group amounting to 96 billion rupees ($1.03 billion) in the 2024-25 financial year.
Tata
Tata
The development also follows the deadly Ahmedabad crash in June 2025, where Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 260 people, and the subsequent regulatory scrutiny, with Indian authorities expected to publish a report into the incident by June 12, 2026.
BBC News
The Economic Times
The Conversation

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Campbell Wilson's tenure at Air India was a landmark success, having merged four airlines, added 100 aircraft and built South Asia's largest training academy. The foundation laid under his watch sets Air India up for a massive expansion starting in 2027. Stepping down now, with the organization stable, demonstrates his strategic discipline and respect for the airline's future.

Air India

Narrative B

Wilson's exit exposes just how rocky Air India's turnaround has been — with mounting losses, supply chain delays and a crash probe telling a far messier story than the polished farewell suggests. The likely truth is that Tata's promised revival has moved more slowly than anyone expected, leaving Air India a long way from claiming a real comeback.