Air India on Wednesday named former Ethiopian Airlines chief Tewolde Gebremariam as its new Chief Executive Officer. The announcement comes at a time when Tata Group-owned carrier continues to battle mounting losses and increased regulatory oversight following last year’s crash.Gebremariam takes over from Campbell Wilson, the New Zealander and former Singapore Airlines executive who was appointed in 2022 to lead Air India’s transformation.Air India had earlier disclosed that Wilson had informed Chairman N Chandrasekaran in 2024 of his intention to step down during 2026.The airline has come under intense regulatory scrutiny since the 2025 crash and is also contending with significant operational disruptions arising from the conflict in the Middle East. These challenges have increased operating costs and further intensified the impact of Pakistan’s airspace restrictions on the airline’s operations.
Who is Tewolde Gebremariam?
Tewolde Gebremariam Tesfay retired as Group Chief Executive officer of Ethiopian Airlines in 2022. He joined Ethiopian Airlines in 1985 and began his career in the cargo traffic handling department.He subsequently held several international leadership roles, including Regional Director for India and South East Asia based in Mumbai, followed by Area Manager for Saudi Arabia in Jeddah. After Ethiopian Airlines launched direct services to the United States, he was appointed Area Sales Manager for the North East US and Canada, based in New York.On August 16, 2004, he took charge as Executive Officer, Marketing & Sales, leading the airline’s global marketing and sales operations. Less than two years later, on July 1, 2006, he was elevated to Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the airline’s commercial operations, flight operations, customer services, and maintenance and engineering divisions. He became Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines on January 1, 2011.GebreMariam has held several prominent international positions. He has been a member of the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s High-level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport (HLAG-ST), served on the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), been an Executive Committee member of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA).He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from The Open University in the United Kingdom.
