NEW DELHI, April 22 (Reuters) – Air India CEO Campbell Wilson will step down as chair of the airline’s low-cost subsidiary Air India Express and be replaced by chief commercial officer Nipun Aggarwal, a memo said on Tuesday, as a multi-billion dollar restructuring of the former state-owned airline continues.
Wilson will also be replaced on the board of Air India Express by Basil Kwauk, Air India’s COO. Aggarwal and Kwauk will retain their existing roles, the memo sent by Wilson showed.
Air India is in the midst of a turnaround strategy two years after Tata Group took control. The group merged four airlines into two – the namesake full-service brand and Express, which merged with AirAsia India last year to create a bigger airline, and has refreshed leadership across both carriers.
“With this structural work largely complete, the task at hand now to fully leverage and optimize the Group fleet, network, sales, distribution and loyalty assets,” Wilson said in the memo seen by Reuters and confirmed by an Air India Express spokesperson.
Aggarwal joined Air India in January 2022 after spearheading the acquisition of the carrier by Tata and has been responsible for several functions including aircraft acquisition, financing and strategy. Reuters reported last month Air India is exploring a multi-billion dollar order for dozens of widebody jets.