Air India’s designated CEO and managing director Tewolde Gebremariam has outlined safety, operational reliability and profitability as the three key priorities for the airline. Addressing employees at a company-wide town hall, Gebremariam said Air India had made significant progress since returning to the Tata Group, but continued to operate in a challenging environment marked by geopolitical developments, airspace restrictions, elevated fuel prices and uncertainty across key international markets.
Gebremariam, who was appointed CEO and MD in August, succeeded Campbell Wilson as Air India shifts its focus from stabilisation and integration towards operational execution and sustainable profitability.
Safety, he said, would remain the airline’s “foremost priority and guiding principle”, while calling on employees to speak up and report issues without hesitation.
“Everything we do must be safe. Safety is a shared responsibility, and every Air Indian has a role to play,” he said.
Operational reliability will also be a key focus, with Gebremariam saying customers should associate Air India with consistency and dependable service. This includes improving on-time performance, ensuring baggage travels with passengers, providing transparent communication during disruptions and strengthening recovery processes.
“Our customers should remember Air India for its reliability,” he said.
On profitability, Gebremariam said the airline needed to improve both revenue and cost performance. Air India is evaluating opportunities across its international network, commercial activities and cargo, while also seeking to build greater cost discipline across the organisation.
The airline plans to introduce programmes that reward employees for ideas that generate measurable cost savings and improve operational efficiency.
Air India is also evaluating ways to improve network efficiency and optimise fleet deployment as part of the operational overhaul. The airline will assess whether its network and operations need to be rebalanced to improve long-term competitiveness as it manages an expanded fleet and network following the integration of its airline businesses.
“Growth is the oxygen of business. But growth must also be profitable and sustainable,” Gebremariam said, signalling a more disciplined approach to expansion.
He also stressed the need for Air India to operate as a unified group. “We are already one Air India Group,” he said, adding that the airline would streamline and create synergies wherever possible while retaining its focus on customers.
Gebremariam pointed to India’s demographics, economic growth, geographic position and large diaspora as key opportunities for the airline. If the airline executes well and remains focused on customers, he said, Air India can become one of the largest and leading airlines globally.