Air India gets new boss but with a ‘security’ glitch

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Key points

• (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.).
• Tewolde Gebremariam officially assumes operational leadership at Air India this Monday, taking over from Campbell Wilson.
• Gebremariam's security clearance is projected by month-end.: Air India terminates Phuket-Delhi flight pilot after testing positive for drugs.
• Considerable Autonomy Gebremariam takes over as Air India faces multiple challenges including sizeable losses, fresh funding requirements and heightened scrutiny over safety.
• Chandrasekaran and former Air India chairman and managing director Pradeep Singh Kharola.

Nifty23, 897.7024.25. Gold (MCX) (Rs/10g.)152, 815.00-2960.0. The Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now. Air India gets new boss as Tewolde Gebremariam takes charge. Air India gets new boss as Tewolde Gebremariam takes charge. ET BureauLast Updated: Sep 07, 2026, 06: 00: 00 AM IST.

Tewolde Gebremariam officially assumes operational leadership at Air India this Monday, taking over from Campbell Wilson. With mounting pressure to elevate safety and reliability standards, Gebremariam intends to enhance engineering and maintenance functions while prioritizing financial discipline and profitability. He is projected to have significant autonomy to drive sustainable operational practices.

Mumbai New Delhi: Tewolde Gebremariam will take charge of Air India on Monday, replacing former chief executive Campbell Wilson at a time when the airline is under pressure to improve safety and operational reliability and stem losses, individuals aware of the development stated. While the former chief of Ethiopian Airlines will not be officially designated CEO and accountable manager yet since his security clearance is pending, Air India chairman N Chandrasekaran is anticipated to introduce him to employees at a town hall on Monday, marking the beginning of operational charge, the individuals remarked. Gebremariam's security clearance is projected by month-end.: Air India terminates Phuket-Delhi flight pilot after testing positive for drugs.

Air India did not comment. Chandrasekaran and former Air India chairman and managing director Pradeep Singh Kharola. This person have been guiding Gebremariam since he joined the Tata airline early last month, will continue to work closely with him in the initial few months, authorities close to the matter stated. Live Events.

Considerable Autonomy Gebremariam takes over as Air India faces multiple challenges including sizeable losses, fresh funding requirements and heightened scrutiny over safety. The airline posted a loss of over ₹26, 000 crore for FY26 and has sought ₹10, 000 crore in fresh equity infusion from its owners, Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines. The new head will be given considerable autonomy to do what it takes to put the airline on safe and sustainable ground, authorities close to the matter stated. He is projected to take a hard look at the way the airline operates, identify gaps and move swiftly to address them.: Singapore administration won't interfere in decisions on Air India Gebremariam had already interacted with departmental heads last month and stressed the need for improvement, particularly in engineering and safety matters and yield. For context, the airline has been facing intense safety scrutiny after the fatal Ahmedabad crash. It killed over 270 individuals in June last year. On August 4, around 20 passengers and four crew members were injured when a Phuket-Delhi flight suffered a sudden loss of altitude. Air India dismissed the captain of the aircraft on Friday after the preliminary investigation remarked he was tested "non-negative" for a psychoactive substance in a confirmatory test. Besides safety, Gebremariam is projected to sharpen the focus on consistency in operations, adherence to procedures and improving the airline's overall reliability. Meanwhile, a key area of focus will be engineering and maintenance capability. The new CEO brings extensive experience in building operational and engineering capabilities from his tenure at Ethiopian Airlines, and is projected to strengthen Air India's technical organisation and maintenance systems as the airline prepares to operate a significantly larger fleet. Senior authorities stated they expect Gebremariam to rejig teams or restructure their function where necessary to improve execution, sharpen accountability, and drive operational efficiency. "We expect that quite a few senior executives may leave as the new CEO will bring in fresh faces, " an Air India employee remarked on the condition of anonymity. Financial discipline will be another significant part of his mandate. Alongside the focus on expansion and fleet expansion, Gebremariam has been asked to keep a close watch on cash, costs and profitability, strengthen the leadership pipeline and create a high-performance culture with greater accountability throughout functions, individuals cited above remarked. Monday's town hall is projected to set the tone for the new CEO's tenure and underline the airline's renewed emphasis on safety, operational excellence, customer experience and financial discipline, they stated. Add Now!

Air IndiaTewolde GebremariamCampbell WilsonEthiopian AirlinesTata SonsSingapore Airlines.

(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.). Air IndiaTewolde GebremariamCampbell WilsonEthiopian AirlinesTata SonsSingapore Airlines.

Taken together, the developments around air India gets new boss but with a 'security' glitch point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.