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Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has written to employees, outlining the airline’s progress in performance, customer experience, and network growth, while reaffirming the company’s commitment to transparency and cultural transformation.
“Like all airlines, we face a variety of operational scenarios—some within our control, and some not,” the CEO wrote, referring to the crisis following the AI171 aircraft incident in Ahmedabad earlier this year.
“When the spotlight is on us, it’s crucial to provide timely, clear and accurate information and the right context,” he stated in letters circulated by email.
He acknowledged that Air India has deliberately been “more transparent than usual in reporting incidents and events, however small.”
While this has temporarily increased news coverage, he emphasised that, given Air India’s scale, the incidence rate is “entirely normal.”
“This transparency will, over time, help build trust. In the short term, though, it naturally results in an uptick of news coverage, and with more than 1,200 departures every single day—nearly one every minute—across the Air India Group, it can seem substantial. In the context of our scale and size, however, the incidence rate is entirely normal.”
The airline has recorded notable improvements in operational performance, the CEO noted in the letter.
“Our OTP (on-time performance) in August also crossed 80%, nearly 10 percentage points above the Air India and Vistara 2024 average,” the CEO said.
Customer sentiment has also improved, he added. “Our NPS (net promoter score) for August reached a historic high of 36, continuing the strong momentum from July.”
Other key service metrics also improved, including mishandled baggage rates and the speed of reuniting bags with passengers.
To further empower staff, the Air India CEO said front-line teams can offer e-vouchers to passengers in cases of service shortfalls, with plans to extend this to cabin crew going forward.
“We’ve empowered our front-line teams with the ability to offer e-vouchers to customers in cases where a service shortfall has occurred, such as mishandled baggage, and we are also working to extend this capability to our cabin crew, enabling them to provide on-the-spot resolution to customers during their journey,” the CEO’s letter read.
“These measures, along with the improved metrics, reflect the organisational culture we are building and the brand values that matter most: staying grounded, staying focused, and acting with authenticity and integrity—whether or not someone is watching,” the CEO added.
In his letter, he also said that the airline is gradually reviving elements of the Air India experience, such as its in-flight magazine, specialist menus, and social media engagement.
On the network front, Air India announced new seasonal non-stop flights between Delhi and Jaisalmer.
“We’re launching seasonal twice-daily non-stop flights between Delhi and Jaisalmer from October 2025 to March 2026,” the CEO noted.
He also advised that Air India Express (AIX) has expanded operations from Chandigarh and Ahmedabad, with Dehradun to be added on 15 September.
“With Dehradun set to commence operations on 15 September, AIX’s network will expand to 58 domestic and 17 international destinations.”
AIX was officially welcomed as a member by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), reinforcing the airline’s commitment to safety, service and operational excellence, he added.
Additionally, the airline launched a limited-time promotional sale (2–7 September) offering attractive fares for Business Class and Premium Economy on select short-haul international routes, covering South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
