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Air India on Wednesday appointed former Ethiopian Airlines Chief Executive Officer Tewolde Gebremariam as its new Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. He succeeds Campbell Wilson.
The appointment was announced by Air India's Board of Directors following a comprehensive global search overseen by a dedicated Board committee. The committee evaluated internal and highly accomplished external candidates from across the world, seeking a leader with a proven track record in large-scale airline turnarounds, operational excellence, safety, service and profitable expansion, a release said. It said Gebremariam is widely recognised for his leadership of Ethiopian Airlines Group, where he served as CEO for more than a decade and spearheaded a multi-billion-dollar expansion. During his tenure, the airline's revenue grew more than fourfold and its fleet size nearly tripled, "transforming it into Africa's largest, most profitable and decorated airline group". His expertise spans international long-haul network expansion, global hub operations, MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) infrastructure and aviation training. Air India said his experience in safety, engineering quality, operational reliability, profitability and workforce development would be crucial as it moves beyond its foundational turnaround phase. N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and Air India, said Gebremariam's record of building one of the world's efficient and profitable airline groups made him uniquely suited to lead Air India's next phase of execution and expansion. Gebremariam said he was honoured to lead Air India at a historic moment and looked forward to building a world-class global airline reflecting India's economic potential, while delivering operational reliability, Indian hospitality and sustained long-term growth. Under his leadership, Air India said it will focus on strengthening international connectivity, supporting India's emergence as a global aviation hub and maintaining high standards of aviation safety and compliance. The airline will also continue to emphasise employee training, career pathways and a high-performance, customer-first culture. The Board thanked Campbell Wilson for his leadership during Air India's revitalisation phase, including overseeing complex merger and integration processes, fleet modernisation programmes and corporate governance reforms. Air India said further details regarding Gebremariam's onboarding timeline and transition schedule will be shared in due course. (ANI)
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