Amid regulatory heat, Air India CEO Wilson urges open mind from staff, cites record customer score

Air India has ramped up training, reinforced safety standards, and focused on improving internal reporting mechanisms, CEO Campbell Wilson said on July 25. In his first extensive remarks since the June 12 crash that killed 260 people, Wilson acknowledged the intense scrutiny following the tragedy and urged a culture of openness and continuous improvement.

“It is natural that, following an accident, there is a period of intense scrutiny. Some of it must come from internal examination and self-reflection, while some of it will come from external parties... We must take all commentary constructively with grace and an open mind,” Wilson told employees in a message.

He noted that aviation’s safety record has improved because of such scrutiny: “Continuous improvement is a hallmark of aviation, and it is why the industry has become so dramatically safer over the years.”

The comments come amid a series of aircraft snags that have further spotlighted Air India’s operations after the Ahmedabad air crash, which claimed 241 lives onboard and 19 on the ground. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued four show cause notices, citing lapses in crew deployment, rest periods, training, and operational procedures. These notices followed voluntary disclosures by the airline.

In response, Air India has launched a self-imposed “safety pause”—a deliberate scale-back of operations to conduct technical checks and take a more cautious approach to flying. The airline has completed inspections of its Boeing 787 and 737 fleets; no faults were found. Reliability work is ongoing, with a partial flight schedule restoration set for August 1 and full resumption by October 1.

Wilson outlined the airline’s efforts to strengthen internal processes: updated SOPs, stronger compliance frameworks, and digitisation of record-keeping. “We have focussed on improving reporting... by making it easier to do, more encouraged, more protected and put to more use,” he said.

Quoting safety consultant Baines-Simmons, Wilson emphasized a shift toward learning from incidents instead of assigning blame: “We have adopted philosophies... to take opportunities for organisational learning and improvement before jumping to blame or punishment.”

He credited these internal shifts with driving a visible improvement in customer feedback. Air India’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) reached an all-time high of +34 in July—up from -17 in FY23 and +16 last year. “So far in July more than 1,00,000 have taken the opportunity to give such feedback,” he noted.

Ultimately, Wilson said, progress hinges on people: “People following prescribed processes. People acting in a conscientious manner. People striving to do better. People doing the right thing, all the time, not just when someone else is watching.”