07 September,2026 03:33 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Representational Image. File pic.
Air India's incoming Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Tewolde Gebremariam on Monday said that the Tata Group-owned firm is a strong brand with enormous potential and wants to make the airline "great again", according to news agency IANS.
"I am coming from the US so allow me to borrow a phrase MAGA (Make America Great Again). We will Make Air India Great Again," he told employees.
Gebremariam will formally take charge as Air India CEO and MD after getting the security clearance from the government. He will replace Campbell Wilson.
"Air India has a powerful heritage, a strong brand and enormous potential. If we do the right things at the right time, the sky is the limit," he said.
Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said the airline's next phase would focus primarily on safety, rebuilding customer trust, operational excellence and cost discipline.
"For me, bringing Air India back to the Tata Group is one of the most important milestones of my career, a very, very significant event. Air India belongs to a billion people. It is not just another business," Chandrasekaran said.
Noting that the airline had faced an exceptionally challenging period over the past 18 months, with geopolitical disruptions, airspace closures, fuel price volatility and the tragic AI171 accident affecting its operations, he said safety would remain the airline's top priority, urging Air India to aspire to a safety record better than that of the best airlines globally.
"Safety is not about what we say. It is about what we do every day," Chandrasekaran said, underlining the importance of rigorous compliance, world-class processes and personal accountability across the organisation.
He emphasised that establishing trust in the minds of passengers and the wider public is a key objective for the aviation firm.
"The most important thing Air India should aspire to have is trust in the minds of people," he said.
Chandrasekaran urged the airlines to provide greater consistency in customer service and experience, and asked employees to remain agile as the aviation industry continues to face a rapidly changing operating environment.
For Air India, which is a loss-making firm, he pointed out that cost consciousness is important throughout the company and said, "Every individual in Air India can contribute to improving cost efficiency".
(With inputs from IANS)
