Air India CEO steps down as Board Chairman of LCC-arm

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson steps down as Chairman of Air India Express, succeeded by Nipun Aggarwal.

In a significant leadership shuffle, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson announced on Tuesday (April 22, 2025) his decision to step down as Chairman of the Board of Air India Express, the Tata Group’s low-cost carrier.

He will be succeeded by Nipun Aggarwal, Tata Sons appointee and Air India’s Chief Commercial Officer, who is already a member of the Air India Express Board.

Mr. Wilson shared the news via an internal platform for airline employees. The announcements comes in the backdrop of Air India concluding the merger of various airlines under the Tata fold - integrating Vistara with Air India and AirAsia India with Air India Express. This sets the stage for the next phase for further synchronisation of routes between the two airlines, which is the division Mr. Aggarwal oversees at Air India as the Chief Commercial Officer.

“With this structural work largely complete, the focus now shifts to fully leveraging and optimising the Group’s fleet, network, sales, distribution, and loyalty assets,” Mr. Wilson stated in his message. While Air India will be focused on metro-to-metro domestic routes and international connections, budget carrier Air India Express will target tier-1 and tier-2 cities, alongside short-haul international destinations.

Air India’s Chief Operations Officer, Capt. Basil Kwauk, who has joined the airline as an appointee of Singapore Airlines that has a 24.1% stake in Air India, will also replace Mr. Campbell as a member on the Board of Air India Express to ensure operational synergy across the group