Singapore Airlines veteran Campbell Wilson will be the CEO and managing director of Air India. Wilson was the CEO of Scoot, the low-cost arm of Singapore Airlines.
His appointment will be subject to regulatory approvals. The appointment of a foreign national as a CEO of an airline also needs to be cleared by the government.
The Tata Group had won the bid to acquire Air India last year. The airline was transferred to the Tatas on January 27, 2022. Since then, the group has been on the hunt to appoint a CEO and an MD for the airline.
Soon after Tata took over Air India, Ilker Ayci, former chairman of Turkish Airlines, was appointed the CEO. But he turned down the offer amid criticism from various quarters in India for his links to Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Wilson has over 26 years of aviation industry expertise, with both full-service and low-cost airlines. Also, Singapore Airlines holds 49 per cent stake in Vistara, the other full service carrier of the Tata Group. His appointment should therefore augur well for Air India and the Tata Group.
“He is an industry veteran having worked in key global markets cutting across multiple functions. Further, Air India would benefit from his added experience of having built an airline brand in Asia. I look forward to working with him in building a world-class airline,” N. Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Group and Air India, said.
Wilson, 50, who has a Masters of Commerce in Business Administration, joined Singapore Airlines as a management trainee in 1996. He went on to work for the company in Canada, Hong Kong and Japan, before returning to Singapore in 2011 as the founding CEO of Scoot.
Wilson led Scoot till 2016, before being appointed the senior vice-president sales and marketing of Singapore Airlines. He returned as the CEO of Scoot in April 2020.
“It is honour to be selected to lead the iconic Air India and be a part of the highly respected Tata Group,” said Wilson.
“Air India is at the cusp of an exciting journey to become one of the best airlines in the world, offering world-class products and services with a distinct customer experience that reflects Indian warmth and hospitality. I am excited to join Air India and Tata colleagues in the mission of realising that ambition,” he added.
Wilson will have a tough job at hand. Air India has been making losses and its service, too, needs a major overhaul, while the fleet also needs an upgrade. Wilson will also joins at a time when Tata Group is looking to possibly merge Air Asia India and Air India Express.