MUMBAI — Air India Chief Executive Campbell Wilson said his successor will have a difficult agenda as the carrier deals with airspace restrictions, fallout from the Iran war and higher operating costs driven by a strong U.S. dollar.
Speaking at an event in New York, Wilson said he expects to leave the company within two months. He said the next four years will be “just as challenging as the past, albeit in a different way.”
Wilson said he will work to ensure a smooth transition and wants “to make sure the right person is in place to carry forward” the company’s priorities.
Air India has faced heavy losses, safety lapses and major operational disruptions. The carrier’s 787 Dreamliner crash in June 2025 killed hundreds, and the airline has also had to cancel thousands of flights because of the Iran war and Pakistan’s airspace ban.
The restrictions have hit profitable international routes, including flights to North America. Some services have been reduced, while remaining flights are taking longer routes that increase costs at a time of elevated fuel prices.
“We now can’t fly over many parts of the Gulf, so we have to take an even longer routing. An eight-and-a-half-hour flight from Delhi to London now takes 12 (hours),” Wilson said.
Wilson said fuel costs have doubled from 34% of the carrier’s costs before the U.S.-Iran war.
He said Air India’s next CEO will need to manage company-specific challenges, including growth and employee relations, while also navigating wider aviation industry pressures such as airspace closures and uncertain fuel prices.
“The platform has been laid, but obviously when you bring aircraft in, you’re going to be operating in a much greater scale quite soon,” Wilson said.
Air India has also been reprimanded for safety lapses, including operating an aircraft multiple times without a valid airworthiness certificate and failing to properly check emergency equipment, according to reports.
During the U.S.-Iran war, Air India canceled about 2,500 flights to West Asia over three weeks and operated only about 30% of its normal Middle East schedule. (Source: IANS)
