Everyone benefits from Air India no longer being ‘monster in middle’: CEO

Air India CE Campbell Wilson insists that the privatisation of the flag carrier means the country’s airlines are better positioned to take advantage of the huge growth potential in India, with the market now being commercially minded. “In terms of competition, Air India was the spoiler in the game when it was government-owned,” Wilson said during a roundtable discussion in the Tata Group chalet at the Farnborough air show on 23 July. “No other business could really operate professionally or with a profit motive because you had this monster in the middle destroying value,” he states. With Air India under Tata ownership and bringing AirAsia India and Vistara into its fold, India’s aviation market has matured, he suggests, meaning the country’s airlines – also including IndiGo and Akasa Air – can now concentrate on taking advantage of the huge market potential. “There’s a lot of private capital that has come in, which is allowing investment in fleet, investment in product,” he says. “There are more than 1,000 aircraft now in India’s aircraft order backlog and you are starting to see consolidation within the industry, which bodes well for stability, for profitability and ultimately investment and expansion.” Air India is taking delivery of a new aircraft on average every six days, Wilson notes, as it seeks to tap the growth opportunity. The widebody market is particularly ripe for growth, he says, highlighting the fact that India’s carriers emerged from the pandemic with fewer than 50 widebody aircraft in service.<br/>