Air India CEO Campbell Wilson resigns; airline looks for successor

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has resigned and will stay till his successor is appointed, according to reports. His term was to end in July 2027.

His resignation was accepted at a board meeting last week and will remain at the helm of affairs till his successor is appointed, according to reports. Tata Group has been hunting for a CEO for the past few months, and his successor is to be announced soon, said sources.    

There have been talks around his resignation since the Air India crash in June 2025 and repeated episodes involving Air India aircraft breaching safety norms. The airline has been facing huge losses and operational challenges.  

DON'T MISS | IndiGo appoints former British Airways chief William Walsh as CEO

His exit comes close to the appointment of IndiGo CEO Willie Walsh after the resignation of Pieter Elbers. Before joining Air India, Wilson served as CEO of Scoot, the wholly-owned low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA).

Wilson, who joined Air India in 2022, was to steer the legacy airline to a world-class carrier under Tata’s five-year Vihaan.AI transformation plan. The airline ordered newer aircraft, focused on retrofitting old aircraft, upgrading the existing fleet, while trying to stay profitable.

DON'T MISS | IndiGo's new CEO Willie Walsh’s troubles with Indian aviation policy

Airlines are facing several challenges due to airspace closure, making it burn more cash for operations. It is forced to take longer routes for its long-haul operations due to the Middle East conflict and restriction to fly over Pakistan. The highest ATF prices in the international sector have also impacted the profitability on the long haul, besides stretching resources.

Reports say that Air India is expected to post Rs 20,000 crore losses in FY26.