Former Ethiopian Airlines CEO to lead India’s flag carrier into its next chapter. (Photos: Tadias archive)
Tadias Magazine
August 2026
New York (TADIAS) — Former Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde Gebremariam has been named the new Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Air India, marking a significant new chapter in the career of one of Africa’s most closely watched aviation executives.
The appointment, announced Wednesday by Air India, comes at a critical moment for the Tata Group-owned carrier as it works through a major transformation involving fleet expansion, operational challenges, financial losses and heightened regulatory scrutiny. Tewolde will succeed Campbell Wilson, who is scheduled to leave the airline at the end of September.
For those who have followed Tewolde’s career, however, his appointment is about more than a new executive position. It is a remarkable return to the center of the global aviation industry.
Tewolde spent nearly four decades at Ethiopian Airlines, joining the company in 1985 as a traffic officer and rising through a series of commercial and operational leadership positions before becoming Group CEO in 2011. He led the airline until his early retirement in March 2022.
During his more than decade-long tenure as CEO, Ethiopian Airlines underwent extraordinary expansion. The airline reported that annual turnover grew from approximately $1 billion to $4.5 billion, while its fleet expanded from 33 aircraft to 130 and passenger numbers increased from about 3 million to 12 million before the pandemic. The group also expanded its aviation infrastructure, including its cargo operations, maintenance facilities, training academy and other businesses.
His tenure also included some of the most difficult moments in modern aviation, including the 2019 Boeing 737 MAX crash involving Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and the unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Reuters noted his experience navigating both crises as part of the reason he is viewed as a particularly strong choice for Air India’s difficult turnaround.
Tewolde is no stranger to India. Earlier in his Ethiopian Airlines career, he served as the airline’s regional director for India and South Asia, giving his new appointment an additional personal and professional connection to the country. After leaving Ethiopian Airlines in 2022, he later served as a senior strategic adviser to Delta Air Lines.
Now he returns to an airline leadership role at an enormous scale.
Air India is in the midst of an ambitious transformation under Tata Group ownership, but the challenges are considerable. The airline has reported losses of more than $2 billion for the 2025–26 financial year, while continuing to deal with operational and regulatory pressures. Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran has described the next stage as an intensive period of execution and expansion.
For Tewolde, the task will be very different from the one he faced at Ethiopian Airlines. But the underlying challenge—building a globally competitive airline while navigating complex operational and financial pressures—is one he knows exceptionally well.
And for Ethiopians who watched his rise at Ethiopian Airlines, his appointment carries another significance. Tewolde’s career has become part of the story of Ethiopian Airlines’ emergence as a major global carrier, and now that experience will be put to work on one of the world’s largest aviation markets.
Tadias has followed Tewolde’s journey for many years, from his recognition as African CEO of the Year in 2012 to Ethiopian Airlines’ rapid international expansion and, most recently, his departure from the airline in 2022.
Now, after a four-year absence from the CEO’s seat, Tewolde Gebremariam is back—this time with Air India’s future in his hands.
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Related:
Read Tadias’ earlier coverage of Tewolde Gebremariam: From his recognition as African CEO of the Year to his years leading Ethiopian Airlines’ global expansion.
Tadias: Ethiopian Airline’s African CEO of the Year Warns of Challenges Ahead
Tadias: Ethiopian Airlines Confirms CEO’s Early Retirement
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