Air India‘s transformation under the Tata Group is set to enter a new chapter. After navigating one of the most turbulent periods in its recent history, marked by the Ahmedabad crash, mounting losses and operational disruptions triggered by the geopolitical tensions in West Asia, the airline has now chosen former Ethiopian Airlines chief Tewolde Gebremariam to succeed Campbell Wilson and lead the carrier through the next phase of its turnaround.
The appointment comes at a critical juncture. Wilson, who announced his resignation in April and continues until the transition is complete, leaves behind an airline that has done much of the heavy lifting following privatisation. Under his watch, Air India merged with Vistara, Air India Express was integrated with AIX Connect, record aircraft orders were placed and the foundations for a long-term revival were laid. But the next phase demands a different skill set: improving operational reliability, restoring customer confidence, achieving sustainable profitability and building Air India into a globally competitive network carrier.
For aviation watchers, the choice is hardly surprising.
Gebremariam is regarded as one of the airline industry’s most accomplished turnaround specialists. He joined Ethiopian Airlines in 1985 as a transportation and traffic officer and rose through the organisation over more than three decades, holding leadership roles across cargo, commercial operations, network planning and regional management before becoming group chief executive officer in 2011.
An economics graduate from Addis Ababa University, he later earned an MBA from the Open University in the United Kingdom. His long operational grounding across virtually every function of an airline is widely seen as one of his biggest strengths, giving him first-hand experience of running both the commercial and technical sides of a complex aviation business.
His India connection also predates his appointment by many years. Gebremariam served as Ethiopian Airlines’ regional director for India and South-East Asia, in Mumbai. That familiarity with India is likely to prove valuable as Air India expands its international footprint.
Gebremariam’s defining achievement remains his 11-year tenure as CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group. During that period, he transformed the airline from a regional carrier into Africa’s largest and most profitable airline group. Revenue grew more than four-fold, while the fleet nearly tripled in size. Under his leadership, Ethiopian Airlines invested heavily in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities, pilot & engineering training, cargo infrastructure & airport connectivity, creating an integrated aviation ecosystem that became a benchmark for airlines in emerging markets.
His influence extended beyond Ethiopian Airlines. Gebremariam served on the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the executive committee of the African Airlines Association and the United Nations High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport. After stepping down from Ethiopian Airlines in 2022, he became a senior strategic adviser to Delta Air Lines and founded aviation consultancy TGM Advisory Services.
The challenges awaiting him at Air India, however, are considerably different. Unlike Ethiopian Airlines, which expanded steadily over two decades, Air India is rebuilding after years of underinvestment and operational decline. While the merger and integration phase is largely complete, the harder task now is execution. The airline must improve on-time performance, complete the retrofit of its legacy fleet, strengthen engineering and maintenance capabilities, rebuild customer confidence after the Ahmedabad crash and return to sustainable profitability despite higher operating costs and continuing geopolitical disruptions.
The pressure is equally intense on the international front. Air India wants to establish Delhi and Mumbai as competitive global hubs capable of attracting transit traffic that currently flows through the Gulf and other international gateways. Delivering that ambition will require reliable operations, seamless connectivity and a service experience that matches leading global airlines.
Gebremariam has built his reputation by managing complex airline operations, embedding a strong safety culture, strengthening engineering capabilities and delivering disciplined growth. Those are precisely the attributes the Tata Group believes Air India now needs as it moves beyond stabilisation and attempts to realise its ambition of becoming a world-class global airline.