NEW DELHI: Tata Sons has appointed Campbell Wilson as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of Air India. The Air India board approved the appointment of Wilson subject to requisite regulatory approvals.
Wilson, 50, has 26 years of aviation industry expertise across both full service and low-cost airlines. He is the CEO of Scoot, the wholly-owned low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA).
Tata and SIA in a joint venture already operate full-service carrier Vistara in India. There is wide speculation that the Vistara would be integrated with Air India in future, especially after the recently privatised airline proposed to acquire AirAsia India.
N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Air India said, "I am delighted to welcome Campbell to Air India. 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."
Speaking on the occasion, Wilson, said, "It is an honour to be selected to lead the iconic Air India and be a part of the highly respected Tata Group. 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."
The appointment of Wilson comes after Tata's failed attempt to appoint former Turkish Airline chairman Ilker Ayci as MD and the CEO of Air India. On March 14, Ayci declined the offer of Tata Sons due to negative publicity in a section of Indian media over his close proximity with the current President of Turkey.
Then in mid-April chairman Chandrasekaran chaired a major reshuffle in the top management of Air India with Nipun Aggarwal appointed as Chief Commercial Officer and Suresh Dutt Tripathi as Chief Human Resources Officer.
The Tata Group had won the bid to acquire the national carrier along with Air India Express and a 50% stake in AISATS in October last year for Rs 18,000 crore after a competitive bidding process that lasted for more than a year. The Tata Group officially took over the management of the airline on January 22.