Air India must make safety, customer trust and operational excellence the centre of its next phase of transformation, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said on Monday.
Chandrasekaran, along with outgoing CEO and MD Campbell Wilson and incoming CEO and MD Tewolde Gebremariam, addressed employees at a town hall marking the leadership transition at Air India.
He said the airline had gone through a particularly difficult 18 months marked by geopolitical disruptions, airspace closures, fuel volatility and the tragic AI171 accident.
He said these challenges reinforced the need for Air India to build greater trust among passengers while maintaining financial discipline.
“Air India must be known for caring about safety above everything else. Our safety record should not just match the best airlines in the world, it should be better than the best,” he said at the town hall.
Chandrasekaran said that the most important thing Air India should aspire to have is trust in the minds of people. The Tata Sons’ chairman said that the focus on safety would have to be backed by world-class processes, rigorous compliance and personal accountability across the organisation.
He also called for greater consistency in customer experience and a stronger culture of cost consciousness as the airline works towards financial sustainability. He added that every individual in Air India can contribute to improving cost efficiency.
The emphasis on safety and financial sustainability comes as the Tata-owned airline continues to battle challenges on both fronts. Air India is still dealing with the fallout of the June 2025 Ahmedabad crash involving flight AI171. Last month, a pilot operating the airline’s Delhi-Phuket flight tested positive for a psychoactive substance. The flight momentarily lost altitude injuring 24 passengers.
The airline’s financial health is also under severe stress. Air India posted a record annual loss of about $2.8 billion, or nearly Rs 26,798 crore, in 2025-26, as disruptions linked to the Iran conflict, the closure of Pakistani airspace for Indian carriers, high fuel prices and aircraft supply constraints weighed heavily on operations, according to disclosures made by Singapore Airlines.
Air India’s incoming CEO and MD Tewolde Gebremariam, who will take charge after the necessary approvals, said he wanted to restore the airline’s former standing and borrowed a phrase from US President Donald Trump to describe his ambition: “We will Make Air India Great Again.”
Gebremariam will inherit an airline facing significant operational and financial challenges and will simultaneously oversee one of the most ambitious fleet and network expansion programmes in Air India’s history. The airline plans to add around 600 aircraft to its fleet.
Gebremariam says his immediate priorities would include strengthening the safety culture and improving operational reliability. “A safety-first culture has to be our number one priority. It is not enough to say it. We must live it every day,” Gebremariam said.
“If something is not right, stop. Every employee should feel empowered to raise concerns, and I will support that culture,” the Ethiopian Airlines veteran added.
He also linked customer experience directly to operational performance, pointing to punctuality, baggage handling and aircraft cleanliness as basic areas that need consistent execution.
Tewolde acknowledged the work undertaken during the last four years under Wilson, saying the airline had already completed much of the “heavy lifting” required for its transformation.
“A great deal of heavy lifting and foundational work has already been done. I would like to thank the Chairman, Campbell and the entire Air India team for creating that foundation.”
Recalling Air India’s position in the industry during his time in Mumbai in the 1990s, Tewolde said he wanted to restore the airline’s standing.
“I am coming from the US so allow me to borrow a phrase, MAGA. We will Make Air India Great Again.”
Wilson, who led Air India’s transformation following its return to the Tata Group, said the process remained unfinished and expressed confidence in his successor.
“As the Chairman said, this is a task that is not yet complete. The transformation will continue, and Air India’s best days are still ahead,” Wilson said, adding, “I want to assure you I will remain Air India’s biggest cheerleader from the sidelines.”