Mucahithan Avcioglu
09 April 2026•Update: 09 April 2026
- Resignation comes as airline faces scrutiny after 2025 crash that killed 260 people
Air India Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson has resigned as the carrier continues to grapple with financial losses, operational challenges and the aftermath of a deadly crash last year.
The airline said Wilson, whose term had been due to end in 2027, will remain in his role until a successor is appointed.
Air India’s board has formed a committee to identify Wilson’s replacement in the coming months, the company said.
The airline also said Wilson had informed Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran in 2024 of his intention to step down in 2026 and had since been working to ensure the organization was on “a stable footing” for the transition.
“The time is right for me to hand over the reins for the next phase of Air India’s rise,” Wilson said.
A former Singapore Airlines executive, Wilson was appointed to lead Air India’s turnaround after Tata Group acquired the airline from the Indian government in 2022 following years of losses.
During his tenure, the airline began refurbishing aircraft and restructuring operations while also seeking to improve service and operational standards.
Despite those efforts, the airline has continued to face headwinds. Air India, which suffered years of neglect under state ownership, has remained loss-making since returning to private ownership four years ago.
In the 2024-25 financial year, Air India and its low-cost unit posted a combined loss of about 98 billion Indian rupees (about $1 billion).
The resignation also comes as the airline continues to deal with the fallout from the crash of an Ahmedabad-London flight in June 2025, which killed 260 people and marked a major setback for the carrier’s recovery plans.
Indian regulators are expected to publish a final report on the crash by June 12, the first anniversary of the disaster.
India’s aviation sector is also facing broader pressures from rising costs, disrupted international routes linked to regional tensions in the Middle East, delays in aircraft deliveries and tighter regulatory scrutiny.
Last week, Air India’s rival IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, named aviation industry veteran Willie Walsh as its new chief as it seeks to expand amid the challenging environment.
