When the Tata Group took back the reins of Air India in 2022, they knew that resurrecting a national icon would require more than corporate sentimentalism. It demanded a seasoned aviation veteran capable of steering a legacy carrier through heavy operational turbulence. Enter Tewolde Gebremariam, the newly appointed managing director and chief executive officer of India’s largest international carrier.

Announcing his appointment early last month, Air India has brought in a reputed aviation veteran to orchestrate its critical execution phase. He officially succeeds Campbell Wilson on October 1, 2026, after the New Zealander wraps up a foundation-laying stint on September 30.

Mr Gebremariam’s story is rooted in deep institutional knowledge and an unbreakable connection to the tarmac. Joining Ethiopian Airlines in 1985 as a junior cargo traffic officer, he spent nearly four decades working across virtually every operational division, from sales to commercial management. He was not a parachuted executive; he climbed the ranks step by painstaking step. By the time he was appointed Group CEO in 2011, he had understood the soul of the airline.

Over the next eleven years, Mr Gebremariam, an avid reader of historical biographies, achieved what many global analysts had deemed impossible. He took a modest African carrier and transformed it into a profitable multi-billion-dollar global behemoth. Revenue quadrupled to roughly $4.5 billion, and the fleet size tripled. This massive turnaround was anchored by his strategic development of Addis Ababa into a world-class global hub, combined with investments in massive MRO infrastructure.

He even steered the airline through back-to-back black swan events — the tragic 2019 Boeing 737 MAX crash and the catastrophic COVID-19 pandemic — without a single cent of government bailouts, relying instead on dynamic strategies like cargo conversion. He eventually stepped down in 2022 for health reasons, briefly serving as an adviser to Delta Air Lines before the Tatas came calling.

Yet, the cockpit of Air India presents a far rougher operational airspace. The airline is currently battling substantial turbulence, having accumulated massive losses alongside a complex merger integration process. Geopolitical conflicts have resulted in airspace bans that lengthen flight times and bloat fuel bills. Additionally, the carrier is enduring immense regulatory scrutiny following severe safety lapses and a tragic plane crash last year.

This is precisely why Mr Gebremariam fits the bill. He is famously dubbed an industry turnaround specialist. His core strengths of rebuilding workplace safety cultures, negotiating complex operational crises and scaling up international networks align identically with Air India’s primary vulnerabilities.

As he prepares to navigate India’s premier carrier through a tumultuous flight back to its heyday, all eyes are on the Ethiopian titan. If anyone can guide the Maharaja back to its rightful throne in the sky, it appears to be
Mr Gebremariam, who has spent his life turning local operations into global empires.