Incoming Air India CEO and Managing Director Tewolde Gebremariam has placed safety and operational excellence at the centre of the airline’s next phase of transformation, calling on employees to build a stronger safety-first culture across the organisation.
Addressing Air India employees at a town hall alongside Tata Sons Chairman and Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran and outgoing CEO and MD Campbell Wilson, Gebremariam said safety must become more than a stated priority and instead be embedded in the airline’s everyday decision-making and operations.
“I am coming from the US, so allow me to borrow a phrase: MAGA. We will Make Air India Great Again,” Gebremariam told employees, while stressing that a safety-first culture must be the airline’s number-one priority.
The incoming CEO also called for an environment in which employees feel empowered to identify and report safety concerns. “If something is not right, stop. Every employee should feel empowered to raise concerns, and I will support that culture,” he said.
Gebremariam is expected to formally assume charge once his government security clearance is completed, which is expected within the next few weeks. His appointment comes at a pivotal stage in Air India’s transformation, as the airline continues to address operational challenges while rebuilding passenger confidence and strengthening its safety and engineering systems.
Safety takes centre stage
For Air India, the renewed emphasis on safety carries particular significance following the AI171 accident in June 2025, which intensified scrutiny of the airline’s operational practices, safety oversight and organisational culture.
Chandrasekaran told employees that safety must ultimately become the foundation on which the airline rebuilds trust.
“The most important thing Air India should aspire to have is trust in the minds of people,” he said, adding that the airline’s safety record should not merely match the world’s best airlines but exceed them.
He emphasised that safety would have to be demonstrated through everyday actions rather than statements, with rigorous processes, compliance and personal accountability embedded throughout the organisation.
The focus will extend across multiple areas of Air India’s operations, including pilot training, maintenance practices, operational decision-making and safety oversight. For the airline’s engineering and MRO organisation, this places particular emphasis on disciplined maintenance processes, technical compliance, workforce capability and a robust safety reporting culture.
Operational excellence becomes another priority
Gebremariam also highlighted operational reliability as a critical component of the airline’s transformation. He pointed to fundamentals such as on-time departures and arrivals, baggage handling, aircraft cleanliness and disruption management as key drivers of customer experience.
“Customer experience is a function of operational excellence,” he said, stressing the need for Air India to minimise disruptions and respond effectively when they occur. The message reflects a broader shift from transformation based primarily on fleet, branding and infrastructure to one increasingly focused on consistent execution across the airline’s operational ecosystem.
Air India’s ability to deliver this consistency will be particularly important as it manages a rapidly expanding fleet, modernises its legacy aircraft and integrates its wider airline group.
From transformation to execution
Under Wilson, who became Air India’s first CEO following its return to private ownership, the airline undertook one of the most significant transformations in its history.
Since the Tata Group regained control of Air India in January 2022, the airline has introduced a new brand identity, consolidated its airline group structure, placed major aircraft orders, modernised legacy aircraft cabins, invested in technology and expanded its workforce across critical operational functions.
Air India has also strengthened its relationship with Singapore Airlines and expanded partnerships with international carriers.
While those foundational elements remain important, the next phase will increasingly be judged by execution, reliability and consistency.
Chandrasekaran identified four broad priorities for the road ahead: safety, customer trust, operational execution and cost discipline. He also urged employees to develop greater cost consciousness as the airline works towards financial sustainability while operating in an increasingly challenging global environment.
A new leadership chapter
Gebremariam brings more than three decades of airline experience to the role, including 11 years as Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, where he oversaw the carrier’s expansion into one of Africa’s leading airlines and helped establish Addis Ababa as a major international aviation hub.
His experience in managing a large airline through complex operating environments will be closely watched as Air India enters the next stage of its own transformation.
For Gebremariam, however, the immediate priority appears clear: establish a safety-led culture, strengthen operational discipline and bring the organisation together behind a common objective.
Wilson, meanwhile, acknowledged that Air India’s transformation remains unfinished but expressed confidence in his successor. “The transformation will continue, and Air India’s best days are still ahead,” Wilson told employees, adding that Gebremariam’s industry experience would help take the airline forward.
For Air India, the leadership transition therefore represents more than a change at the top. The next phase will be about turning the structural transformation of the past four years into a consistently safe, reliable and operationally resilient airline.
