Who is Tewolde Gebremariam? Why is Air India's new CEO in the news? What did he say? Know here
Air India is planning to add more widebody aircraft to its fleet as it looks to strengthen its international operations. The expansion push comes as CEO Tewolde Gebremariam signals stronger shareholder support for the airline's long-term growth ambitions. The former Ethiopian Airlines chief has taken over as Air India's CEO and Managing Director, ushering in a fresh phase of the Tata Group-owned carrier's turnaround efforts.
Gebremariam formally assumed office on Thursday after receiving the required security clearance earlier this week. His appointment was announced on August 5.
Tewolde Gebremariam is an experienced aviation executive who previously served as the head of Ethiopian Airlines, one of Africa's largest and most prominent carriers.
His appointment at Air India comes amid the airline's ongoing transformation following its acquisition by the Tata Group.
An Ethiopian national, Gebremariam is the second foreign executive to lead the loss-making Air India. He takes over at a time when the airline is pursuing ambitious fleet expansion and network development plans while dealing with rising operating expenses, geopolitical uncertainties and operational disruptions.
His experience in managing Ethiopian Airlines is expected to play an important role as Air India seeks to strengthen its international operations and return to sustainable profitability.
Air India's turnaround could take another 15 to 20 years, CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said at Aviation India 2026, underlining the scale of the task facing the airline as it works through financial losses and operational difficulties.
Speaking at the aviation event in New Delhi on Tuesday, Gebremariam described the carrier's revival as a long-term project, while pointing to opportunities for growth despite its current challenges.
"Air India is a long-term story," he said, acknowledging that profitability remains a concern even as the airline looks to expand its business.
Gebremariam called the transformation a formidable undertaking but said he saw a clear path towards growth. He also highlighted the Tata Group's track record, describing it as one of the success stories in the world.
The CEO also stressed the need to expand Air India's widebody fleet to strengthen its long-haul operations. While he did not reveal how many aircraft the airline plans to acquire, he told Bloomberg, “We have many of them, but we need more,”.
Drawing on his experience leading Ethiopian Airlines, Gebremariam noted that the two carriers operate under different ownership structures. Air India is privately owned, while Ethiopian Airlines is state-owned. He added that government ownership was neither inherently good nor bad.
Air India is considering increasing its order for wide-body aircraft as it looks to strengthen international passenger operations and expand its long-haul network.
Speaking on Tuesday, Gebremariam said the airline was evaluating its aircraft requirements and had held discussions with both Boeing and Airbus.
The carrier is assessing the financial implications of operating its older wide-body aircraft, according to an industry source cited by Reuters.
Gebremariam also expressed confidence that Air India would return to profitability "very soon", despite the financial and operational challenges currently facing the airline.
"We want more wide-body aircraft," Gebremariam said at the Aviation India event in New Delhi, signalling the airline's ambition to further strengthen its long-haul fleet as it pursues overseas growth.
Air India is considering shifting a larger proportion of its Europe- and America-bound flights to Mumbai because of continuing airspace restrictions over Pakistan.
Gebremariam said Delhi's international operations have been more significantly affected by these restrictions compared with Mumbai. Consequently, the airline is examining ways to rebalance its international flight network.
"Delhi is also important, but the eastern and south-eastern sides of our network are not affected by the airspace closure. So those growths will be, by and large, in Delhi, while Europe and America will be moved more to Mumbai. We will continue to have Europe and America flights from Delhi, but more will be moving to Mumbai," Gebremariam said.
ver, he clarified that Delhi would continue to remain an important operational hub, with flights to Europe and the United States continuing from the national capital.
"We are also exploring Bangalore as a third hub, because this is a huge country. On the network side, we are also improving our international sales force and international point of sales to rebalance with India point of sales. That will also help us mitigate currency fluctuation," he added.
The airline is also exploring Bengaluru as a potential third operational hub to strengthen connectivity across the Indian subcontinent.
If implemented, the strategy could provide Air India with greater flexibility in managing international routes and reducing the operational impact of airspace restrictions.
Air India is simultaneously facing higher aviation fuel expenses and geopolitical uncertainties in the Middle East, adding pressure to its operating costs.
These developments have created additional challenges for airlines worldwide, particularly those operating extensive international networks.
Gebremariam described such disruptions as short-term challenges that the airline must manage without losing sight of its long-term expansion strategy.
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