Air India CEO race narrows to four candidates amid losses
Air India CEO race narrows to four candidates amid losses
Air India's CEO hunt narrows to four hopefuls—two Indian executives and two expatriates—as the board weighs the next move amid heavy losses.
The race for Air India's CEO position has narrowed to four candidates, including Nipun Aggarwal and Vinod Kannan, plus two expatriates. The board is set to meet soon to decide, with the delay in naming a successor to Campbell Wilson adding to the airline's troubles.
Aggarwal is AI's chief commercial officer and a Tata veteran; Kannan was Vistara CEO and is now senior vice president at Singapore Airlines. Both are considered strong candidates.
The waiting for the new CEO comes as Air India, along with low-cost Air India Express, has posted heavy losses—estimated around Rs 24,000 crore in the last financial year. The promoters Tata Group and Singapore Airlines are trying to steer a turnaround even as the industry faces its toughest period post-pandemic.
The May 7 board meeting did not include the CEO appointment on the agenda, though decision could come later; this is the third CEO hunt in five years, reflecting the long road to stabilizing the airline.
