Air India to see progress on key initiatives in 2025; working towards profitability: CEO Wilson

Among other initiatives to streamline the group’s operations, Air India has optimized the deployment of its best narrow-body and wide-body products on high-density and high-demand routes.

Air India will see progress on various key initiatives, including refitting of wide-body and narrow-body planes, in 2025, as well as tightening practices and processes to ultimately become profitable, the airline’s chief, Campbell Wilson, said on Friday.

After taking over the loss-making Air India from the government in January 2022, Tata Group has been working on an ambitious transformation plan to turn around the airline, which recently also placed orders for 100 more aircraft. In his message to the staff on Friday, Wilson said 2024 saw the realization of some of the most significant milestones, including the completion of the mergers of Air India Express and AirAsia India, and Vistara with Air India, that "position us as the fourth largest business by revenue in the Tata group." Air India Group operates 300 aircraft across both brands, flying over 60 million customers annually to more than 100 destinations in India and around the world.

While describing 2024 as a transformative year for Air India and Indian aviation in many ways, Wilson said 2025 will see progress on many more key initiatives of the airline, such as refitting wide-body and remaining narrow-body aircraft with new seats and services. Further, Air India’s service standards will be elevated, raising the bar on what we consider "good," and more consistently delivering on those new expectations, he added. Refitting of narrow-body aircraft has commenced, while that of legacy wide-body planes is expected to start in 2025.

Wilson, the CEO and MD of Air India, also emphasized the airline will strengthen and tighten its practices and processes so that "we are not just consistent, we are also efficient and, ultimately, profitable." In the 2023-24 fiscal, Air India trimmed its losses to Rs 4,444.10 crore from Rs 11,387.96 crore in 2022-23. Its turnover rose 23.69% to Rs 38,812 crore in the last financial year compared to the year-ago period. Earlier this month, Air India placed an order for 100 more Airbus planes, comprising 10 wide-body A350s and 90 narrow-body A320s. The total order book is 570.

Among other initiatives to streamline the group’s operations, Air India has optimized the deployment of its best narrow-body and wide-body products on high-density and high-demand routes.