Air India board to pick CEO, review costs May 7

Air India's board is scheduled to meet in Mumbai on May 7 to review cost-cutting measures, select a new chief executive officer and discuss financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2026, sources familiar with the matter said.

The meeting, chaired by Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran, comes as the Tata Group-owned airline projects losses exceeding Rs 22,000 crore for the year. Challenges include airspace closures in West Asia due to ongoing conflict, a permanent ban on Indian carriers in Pakistani airspace since last year, surging aviation turbine fuel prices and rupee depreciation against the US dollar. These pressures follow the June 12, 2025, crash of Flight AI 171 in Ahmedabad, which killed 241 people on board and 19 on the ground.

Outgoing CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson, a veteran of Singapore Airlines, announced his resignation recently and will remain in the role until a successor takes over. Sources said the board is evaluating candidates, with Singapore Airlines executive Vinod Kannan and Air India Chief Commercial Officer Nipun Aggarwal emerging as frontrunners. Kannan, who joined Singapore Airlines in 2001 and served as CEO of Vistara before its...