Air India’s incoming Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Tewolde Gebremariam has identified passenger safety, operational reliability and sustainable profitability as the airline’s priorities, as the carrier prepares for its next phase of transformation after reporting sharply widening losses.
Tewolde set out the priorities during his first townhall with Air India employees on Monday, according to sources cited by Business Standard. He will formally assume the CEO and MD role after receiving the necessary regulatory approvals.
The incoming chief said Air India needed to strengthen its safety-reporting culture and ensure employees could raise concerns without hesitation. “Everything we do must be safe. Safety is a shared responsibility, and every Air Indian has a role to play,” he said, according to sources.
He also urged employees to report issues proactively, saying that a stronger reporting culture would support a stronger safety culture. The remarks come after several safety-related incidents involving Air India operations in recent months. On August 4, flight AI2379 from Phuket to Delhi experienced a sudden altitude upset after all three hydraulic systems briefly failed, injuring 24 people, according to the report. The pilot later tested positive for marijuana and was dismissed. On September 6, another pilot was removed from flight AI151 from Zurich to Delhi after failing a breathalyser test for alcohol.
Tewolde said passengers should associate Air India with reliable departures and arrivals, baggage travelling with passengers and transparent communication during disruptions. While weather and technical problems could not always be avoided, he said their impact should be reduced through faster recovery and service processes that meet global standards.
He also called for greater support and decision-making authority for frontline employees so they could resolve customer problems more quickly. “Wherever you are in the organisation, you will be empowered to make decisions that help our customers and supported in delivering the right outcomes,” he said, according to sources.
The airline’s financial performance will be another central challenge. Air India’s consolidated net loss widened to ₹22,238 crore in FY26 from ₹10,859 crore in FY25. The consolidated loss was ₹6,677 crore in FY24. Tewolde said the airline would need to improve revenue performance while imposing stronger cost discipline across the organisation.
Revenue opportunities were being examined across the international network, commercial activities and cargo business. The airline is also planning programmes to reward employees for ideas that produce measurable savings and operational efficiencies. Tewolde said cost management could not remain limited to the leadership or finance functions and that savings from employees across an organisation of Air India’s scale could add up.
The incoming chief also stressed that growth would have to be disciplined and sustainable. Air India was evaluating network efficiency, fleet deployment and operational restructuring, while seeking to streamline operations and create synergies across the group. He said expansion would need to match the readiness of the airline’s people, fleet and network.
Air India’s more than 24,000 employees worldwide were acknowledged for their role in the group’s transformation over the past four years, including the merger and integration of Air India and Vistara. Tewolde said the group had made significant progress but still faced substantial work ahead.
He identified India’s economic growth, demographics, geographic position and large global diaspora as opportunities for the airline. At the same time, geopolitical developments, airspace restrictions affecting Indian carriers, high fuel prices and uncertainty in key international markets were listed as challenges. Tewolde’s formal appointment remains subject to the required regulatory approvals.
