Air India chief executive has stepped down from his position and is currently serving a six-month notice period, CNBC-TV18 confirmed on Tuesday, citing people aware of the matter.
Although he has resigned, Wilson will remain with Air India until a successor is found, as per media reports. The development sets the stage for a leadership transition at a time when the airline is grappling with operational disruptions, rising costs and a likely record loss this year.
These challenges have been compounded by the fallout from the 12 June 2025 crash of Flight AI 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by the airline, which crashed shortly after take-off from airport, killing 241 people on board and on the ground.
The board accepted the top executive’s resignation at its meeting last week. Sources told Hindustan Times that “he will continue to be in the system until the board finds his successor — to help in a smooth transition — whenever that happens, until September.”
Campbell’s five-year term was scheduled to end in September next year.
What we know about the carrier’s succession plans?
The search for Campbell’s successor began in January, after Wilson expressed his wish not to continue after his contract ended. According to HT Media, Air India is in advanced talks with candidates, and a critical meeting on the matter is scheduled next week.
Meanwhile, sources have also told CNBC-TV18 that both internal and external candidates are being considered to fill in Wilson’s position.
Wilson joined Air India in September 2022 on a five-year contract, months after the airline was privatised by the Tata Group in January that year. His departure means the contract is set to end a year earlier than planned.
“The new person (Air India CEO) is expected once the crash report of AI 171 is made public,” sources told HT Media. India’s air crash investigation agency released a preliminary report on 12 July last year, and is mandated to release a full report by 12 June this year.
This is the second major leadership change in the aviation industry this year. Earlier in March, India’s largest airline, IndiGo, announced the sudden departure of its CEO, , who was replaced by William Walsh on 30 March.
Air India Express CEO’s tenure expires
Meanwhile, the tenure of Aloke Singh, the CEO of Air India Express, expired on 19 March. He announced this to the airline employees via an email on 2 March.
After leaving AI Express, Singh was appointed IndiGo’s chief strategy officer.
At the time, an industry insider told HT Media that “the airline should look for someone with strong credibility, global experience in running a complex full-service carrier, familiarity with low-cost operations (for Air India Express), and who is within five years of retirement.”
In FY25, Air India’s standalone revenue rose 13% to ₹61,080 crore. Under Wilson, it reduced its losses to ₹3,976 crore from ₹5,031 crore a year earlier. Air India’s standalone borrowings (excluding lease liabilities) stood at ₹29,713 crore, down over 8% from ₹32,465 crore in FY24, its filings with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs showed.