Campbell Wilson’s recent resignation as Air India chief executive officer (CEO) can be seen as an admission of the failure to turn the airline around. After buying the airline from the government in 2022, the Tatas had staked its turnaround on Wilson’s abilities but now the airline faces serious losses. And lest one forgets, Air India is still trying to recover from the devastating Ahmedabad crash last year.

Several civil aviation veterans and experts, including former chairman-managing directors (CMDs) of the airline, are now asking why Campbell’s exit — he was appointed in July 2022 — didn’t come sooner, given that, within months of his taking charge, a view emerged that he might not be up to the task.

Air India is also likely to welcome a new safety chief. It has also brought in a new advisor who will liaise with the authorities — something that has proved markedly fraught for the airline.

Internal engineering is also a pressure point because some Air India aircraft have recently reported technical glitches. The Tata group and the airline’s board must now introspect on what went wrong and how to course-correct.

There have been........

© hindustantimes