Air India has appointed former Ethiopian Airlines Group chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam as its new Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, succeeding Campbell Wilson, as the Tata Group-owned airline enters the next phase of its transformation focused on expansion, operational excellence and profitability.
According to the airline, the appointment follows a global search conducted by a dedicated Board committee that evaluated both internal and external candidates.
The airline further adds that Gebremariam is widely regarded as one of the aviation industry’s most accomplished executives. During his more than decade-long tenure as CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, he led a multi-billion-dollar expansion that transformed the carrier into Africa’s largest and most profitable airline group, increasing revenue more than four-fold while nearly tripling the fleet size.
His experience includes developing international hub operations, expanding long-haul networks, strengthening engineering and maintenance capabilities, building aviation training infrastructure and driving cultural transformation across large organisations.
Air India said the appointment comes as the airline moves beyond its initial turnaround phase into a period of accelerated execution and growth. The company expects Gebremariam’s experience in building global hub operations, improving operational reliability, maintaining high safety standards and delivering sustained profitability to support its next stage of expansion.
“Having completed the initial phase of stabilization, integration and fleet commitments under Campbell’s guidance, Air India is now entering a critical execution and expansion era. Tewolde’s track record in building one of the world’s most efficient and profitable airline groups makes him uniquely suited to lead Air India,” said N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons and Air India.
Accepting the role, Tewolde Gebremariam said, “It is a profound honour to be entrusted with leading Air India at such a historic moment in its journey. Air India carries an incredible legacy, and the opportunity to build a world-class global airline that reflects India’s extraordinary economic potential is uniquely exciting.”
The Board also thanked outgoing CEO Campbell Wilson for leading Air India’s initial transformation, including the airline’s merger and integration programme, fleet modernisation initiatives and governance reforms, which it said laid the foundation for the carrier’s next phase of growth.