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Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson on Tuesday told the staff that it was the right time to hand over the reins for the airline's next phase of growth. Wilson, who has decided to resign, has been at the helm for four years since mid-2022 and will remain with the airline to ensure a smooth succession. "I am incredibly proud of what you have achieved, especially in the face of unprecedented headwinds in the form of aircraft delivery and supply chain challenges, two wars, crippling airspace closures and fuel prices and, most acutely, tragedy," Wilson said. He said that it was the right time to hand over the reins of the airline. "With a brief window until bulk deliveries from the nearly 600-strong aircraft order book commence in earnest from 2027, the time is right for me to hand over the reins for the next phase of Air India's rise," Wilson said. The loss-making airline, acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022, has been facing various headwinds
Ten months after the tragic Air India plane crash that killed 260 persons, bereaved families of the victims have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the release of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and black box data. Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft enroute to London, crashed into a medical college hostel complex shortly after the take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport here on June 12, 2025. The aircraft burst into flames, killing 241 out of 242 people onboard and 19 individuals on the ground. Around 30 bereaved families from across Gujarat met in Ahmedabad on Saturday and wrote a letter to the prime minister, requesting the release of the CVR and 'black box' (Flight Data Recorder) data to uncover the truth behind the calamity. "We want to know the truth about what caused the crash and whether there was any technical problem," they said. The letter, copies of which were sent to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), ...
What is your "deep-rooted agenda", an irate Supreme Court asked a petitioner on Wednesday while dismissing his plea related to the preliminary investigation report on the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last June. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi also refused to accept the petitioner's contention that authorities be directed to treat his plea as a representation. The petitioner had challenged a February 25 order of the Delhi High Court that rejected a PIL seeking that information on the "complete sequence of events" leading to the crash be included in the preliminary investigation report. "What is your deep-rooted agenda? As if we don't understand the motive. The people who lost their lives, their family members are not filing (petitions) but you are filing," an anguished CJI told the counsel appearing for the petitioner. On June 12 last year, Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft en route to London Gatwick, crashed
Air India's A350 aircraft enroute to London Heathrow returned to the national capital due to a technical issue on Thursday afternoon after being airborne for nearly seven hours. The same A350-900 aircraft VT-JRF had faced a technical issue on March 15, following which the plane operating the flight from New York to Delhi was diverted to the Irish town of Shannon, sources said. An Air India spokesperson said its flight AI111, operating from Delhi to London on Thursday, made a precautionary air-return to the national capital following a suspected technical issue. "The aircraft landed safely and consistent with Air India's high safety standards, it is currently subject to extensive technical evaluations, which will require additional time to complete," the spokesperson said in a statement. According to the sources, noises were heard in the aircraft following which it was diverted. The spokesperson also regretted the inconvenience caused to the passengers due to the unforeseen situat
Aviation watchdog DGCA has asked Air India to take corrective measures after the airline deployed a wrong aircraft for operating a flight to Vancouver last week, a senior official said on Thursday. Action has also been taken against an airline official for the incident, the senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told PTI. A Vancouver-bound Air India Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft, after being airborne for over seven hours, returned to Delhi on March 19 after it was found that the plane was not approved for operating the flight. The approval is only for Boeing 777-300 ER to operate that flight. Following the incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had sought a report from the airline. Air India has been asked to take corrective measures to ensure that such incidents do not happen again, and action has also been taken against an airline official, the DGCA official said. Specific details could not be ascertained. There was no immediate com
The Air India Group has been significantly impacted by the Middle East conflict and the financial impact is "yet to be fully felt", according to Air India chief Campbell Wilson, who has also stressed the need for having a tighter-than-ever control of unnecessary expenditure. Loss-making Air India and Air India Express have been grappling with operational disruptions like other airlines since the start of the conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran on February 28. "In the three weeks since the conflict started, we have had to cancel around 2,500 flights to the region. As of today, we can operate only around 30 per cent of our normal Middle East schedule because airports and/or airspace are closed, or are assessed to be beyond our safety threshold," Wilson said in a message to the staff on Friday. The airline's flights to the UK, Europe, and North America, are also taking longer flight paths due to airspace restrictions in the region, resulting in more fuel consumption. Wilson sa
Air India is planning to introduce a health and fitness compliance policy for its cabin crew, under which those found underweight, overweight or obese could face derostering and loss of pay. The compliance assessment will be based on the cabin crew members' Body Mass Index (BMI) with a reading of 18-24.9 defined as 'normal' and accepted as 'desired range' by the airline. A BMI reading of less than 18 will be considered as 'underweight', though it may be acceptable subject to clearing of medical evaluation and functional assessment, according to the policy accessed by PTI. A BMI reading in the range of 25-29.9 will be defined as 'overweight' and will be considered acceptable, provided the cabin crew member clears the functional assessment. As per the policy, to be effective from May 1, a reading of 30 or above is 'obese' and not an acceptable range. A cabin crew member will be derostered if he or she is either 'underweight' or 'overweight' and will be required to clear the function