Air India CEO Unveils Ambitious Turnaround Plan

Air India's CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam, has detailed a strategic plan to revitalize the airline, focusing on rebalancing its network and recapturing international market share. A key component involves reducing operational costs and increasing the fleet of wide-body aircraft to bolster global connectivity.

Gebremariam, speaking at the Aviation India and South Asia 2026 conference, acknowledged the airline's current underperformance and widening losses, which exceeded Rs 22,000 crore in fiscal 2025-26. He emphasized a strong desire to achieve profitability, viewing challenges such as high fuel prices and geopolitical disruptions as temporary obstacles.

The airline intends to establish Bengaluru as a third major hub, alongside Delhi and Mumbai, to optimize its network. Operations from Delhi to Europe and the US have been particularly affected by airspace closures, prompting a strategic shift towards Mumbai for certain routes.

Air India plans to expand its wide-body fleet, which currently stands at 61 aircraft out of a total of 171. With 540 of its 600 ordered planes yet to be delivered, approximately 70 of these are wide-body aircraft. The strategy encompasses growth in both full-service and low-cost carrier operations.