The Home Ministry has given security clearance to Air India CEO-designate Campbell Wilson, paving the way for him to take charge of the airline, according to a senior official. The appointment of Mr Wilson as the chief executive officer and managing director of Air India was announced by Tata Sons on May 12. 

Tata Sons took over the loss-making carrier on January 27. 

The senior official on Tuesday said that the Home Ministry had given security clearance to Mr Wilson. 

There was no immediate response to a query sent to an Air India spokesperson on the matter. 

Under civil aviation rules, clearance of the Home Ministry is mandatory for the appointment of key personnel of airlines, including foreigners. 

Weeks after taking over the carrier, Tata Sons, on February 14, had named Turkish Airlines’ former Chairman Lyker Ayci as Air India’s MD and CEO. However, Mr Ayci, who was to take over on April 1, declined to join the group amid concerns expressed over his appointment in certain quarters.  

Mr Wilson was the CEO of Singapore Airlines’ wholly-owned subsidiary Scoot Air. Singapore Airlines is a joint venture partner of Tata Group in full-service carrier Vistara. 

In a message to Air India’s employees on June 20, Mr Wilson had said that the airline’s “best years are yet to come” and that the journey to make it a world-class airline would require efforts that were “big and small, easy and difficult”.