New Delhi: With the recent appointment of Tewolde Gebremariam as the New Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of Air India, the airline has started a new chapter in its operations. However, the former Ethiopian Airlines boss succeeds Campbell Wilson in the midst of significant issues plaguing the Tata Group-owned airline such as customer dissatisfaction, financial pressures, operational delays and a need to win back customer confidence.
An important question that has cropped up amongst all travellers is whether Air India is going to improve in any way, or if its woes will persist.
It’s not a simple answer. Trying to turn an old, underperforming airline such as Air India into a better company requires time to the tune of a new CEO who can implement fresh ideas and provide her with more leadership.
Tewolde Gebremariam is a well renowned name in the aviation industry around the world: At Ethiopian Airlines, he was instrumental in making it one of the continent’s biggest and busiest airlines, and one of the most profitable airlines. He also shifted aim to improving operational efficiency and growth in routes, safety measures and developing a comprehensive airline network. The need for much improvement is present in these as well in Air India.
Since Tata Group took over Air India in 2022, the airline has already started a major transformation. It has commissioned hundreds of new planes, created a revamped brand and formed a tie-up with Vistara, invested in new technology and customer service offerings. Former CEO Campbell Wilson played an important role in laying this foundation. But a lot of the passengers report problems like delayed flights, poor communication, not having their bags, improper maintenance and customer service quality not being uniform.
Gebremariam’s expertise might prove useful there. Industry experts think that his greatest hurdle will be working on day-to-day operations. Purchasing new planes may be crucial, but passengers’ evaluation of the airline will be made on how consistently planes are on time, how quickly baggage is located and retrieved, how well the employees provide their service and how efficiently the airline deals with problems. These are areas where Air India still has room for improvement.
Meanwhile, don’t expect overnight changes for passengers. Air India has one of the largest fleet capacitys in the world and operates hundreds of routes both domestic and international every day. Modernisation of Aircraft interiors, some years, and bettering up of operations as well as training the crew will require a number of years.
The safety of the participants will also be taken care of. With greater regulatory scrutiny and recent operational headaches, safe standards and regaining public trust will be some of the top priorities for the new CEO.
One of its priorities will be to become more competitive with airlines like IndiGo and the top global airlines. For the airline to become a choice of those planning to vacation and those who often fly nationwide, better on-time performance, more reliable service, cleaner aircraft and a smoother travel experience will be key.
So is Air India going to change with the new CEO? The odds are good but it is execution, and not leadership, which will determine success. Tewolde Gebremariam has a proven track record of transforming an airline, but how effective he is at Air India will come down to how he performs on his various strategies.
So as the journey to transformation continues, passengers should=brace for more changes at the airline. It is clear that, though the changes might not be visible at present, the Tata Group is serious of making Air India a more formidable, dependable and globally competitive entity. Whether passengers will feel the impact will be evident in the coming years as the long-term plans are put into practice to service the roads and rails.
