Air India’s incoming chief executive officer (CEO) Tewolde Gebremariam has told employees to focus on the basics, from punctual departures and baggage delivery to clean aircraft, while making safety the top priority as he prepares to take charge of the Tata-owned airline.
Gebremariam is awaiting mandatory regulatory clearances before formally assuming the role, succeeding Campbell Wilson. At an employee townhall on Monday attended by Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran and Wilson, Gebremariam said operational excellence starts with consistently delivering on the fundamentals.
“Operational excellence is about getting the basics right every day: on-time departures, on-time arrivals, baggage delivery and clean aircraft,” he said, according to people who were present in the townhall meeting.
Borrowing a phrase from American politics, added: “I am coming from the US so allow me to borrow a phrase, Maga. We will Make Air India Great Again.”
He also called for a culture in which employees feel empowered to raise safety concerns. “A safety-first culture has to be our number one priority,” he said. “If something is not right, stop.”
The emphasis on execution and safety comes at a critical stage in Air India’s transformation. The Tata Group has spent four years rebuilding the airline after acquiring it from the government, integrating Vistara with Air India, merging AirAsia India with Air India Express and embarking on a major fleet renewal.
Yet the investment has not translated into sustained profitability or consistent operations. reported a consolidated net loss of ₹22,238 crore in fiscal 2026, more than double the loss a year earlier, while revenue from operations fell more than 9% to about ₹71,000 crore.
Gebremariam was chosen in part for his experience running Ethiopian Airlines, where he oversaw a rapid expansion of the carrier’s fleet, network and revenues and helped develop Addis Ababa into a major international hub. At Air India, he will have to balance that growth mandate with the more immediate task of improving reliability and controlling costs.
That challenge is becoming more acute as the airline continues to spend heavily on its fleet. Legacy aircraft are being refurbished while new planes are being inducted to expand its domestic and international network. More than 100 aircraft are expected to join the Air India group in 2027 and 2028.
At the same time, higher jet-fuel prices, longer flight times caused by the closure of Pakistani airspace since April 2025 and further rerouting linked to geopolitical tensions have raised costs and reduced aircraft utilisation. A weaker rupee has added to dollar-linked expenses including aircraft leases and maintenance.
, who addressed employees at the same townhall, set out a similar priority for the airline, saying Air India must earn passengers’ trust and build a safety record that is better than the best airlines in the world.
“The most important thing Air India should aspire to have is trust in the minds of people,” Chandrasekaran said, according to the people.
Safety Under Scrutiny
The June 2025 crash of Air India flight AI171, which killed 260 people, remains a defining event for the airline and has intensified scrutiny of its safety, engineering, maintenance and pilot-training systems. The final investigation report is still awaited.
Air India has also faced fresh scrutiny following an incident in August involving an A320 flying from Phuket to Delhi. The aircraft experienced a hydraulic-system issue at cruising altitude, lost altitude and resulted in injuries to passengers and crew. The incident has since been reclassified as an accident, while the pilot-in-command returned a non-negative test for a psychoactive substance. The investigation is continuing.
The incidents will put Air India’s engineering, maintenance, pilot-training and compliance systems high on Gebremariam’s agenda.
His arrival also comes just weeks after a new leadership era begins at rival IndiGo, where took over as chief executive on 3 August. The two veterans of the global airline industry now head India’s two largest carriers, which together account for about 91% of the domestic market.
Walsh takes charge of a market leader focused on international expansion and wide-body aircraft. Gebremariam, by contrast, inherits an airline still completing a transformation that has required substantial investment but has yet to deliver consistent financial and operational performance.
The leadership transition at Tata adds another layer of change. Chandrasekaran is due to step down as Tata Sons chairman at the end of his tenure in February 2027, meaning the next phase of Air India’s turnaround will unfold alongside a change at the top of its parent group.
Gebremariam acknowledged that much of the groundwork had already been laid before his arrival.
“A great deal of heavy lifting and foundational work has already been done,” he said. He described Air India as having “a powerful heritage, a strong brand and enormous potential.”
Air India did not respond to questions from Mint.