Air India, owned by Tata Sons, appointed aviation industry veteran Campbell Wilson as chief executive and managing director on Thursday, months after former Turkish Airlines chairman Ilker Ayci turned down the offer.

Wilson has approximately 26 years of expertise in the aviation industry, both in full-service and low-cost airlines. He is currently CEO of Scoot, the wholly owned low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA). Air India’s board of directors has approved the appointment, which is subject to required regulatory approvals, Tata Sons said in a statement.

“I am delighted to welcome Campbell to Air India. He is an industry veteran having worked in key global markets spanning multiple functions. Additionally, Air India would benefit from its additional experience of building an airline brand in Asia. I look forward to working with him to build a world-class airline,” said Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran.

Wilson will continue to be with Scoot until June 15. He started as a management trainee with SIA in New Zealand in 1996. He then worked with SIA in Canada, Hong Kong and Japan, before returning to Singapore in 2011 as founding CEO. of Scoot, which he led until 2016. Wilson later also served as Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, SIA, before returning for a second term as CEO of Scoot in April 2020 .

“It is an honor to be selected to lead the iconic Air India and to be part of the highly respected Tata Group. Air India is on the cusp of an exciting journey to become one of the best airlines in the world. , delivering world-class products and services with a distinct customer experience that reflects Indian warmth and hospitality. I am delighted to join colleagues from Air India and Tata in the mission to realize this ambition,” Wilson said. .

Air India, together with its wholly owned subsidiary Air India Express, operates domestic and international passenger services, air cargo services and charter services in India.

Earlier in March, Ayci, hailed for turning around Turkish Airlines, declined Tata Group’s offer to be CEO and Managing Director of Air India, citing an “unwanted” story from part of the media. Ayci has been seen close to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is believed to be close to Pakistan.

Following this, Tata Sons had launched a global hunt for a new chief and even evaluated internal candidates, and had even asked the management consultancy and executive search firm Egon Zehnder and other headhunters to find a quickly replacing.

Later in March, Tata Sons appointed N Chandrasekaran as Chairman of Air India. Chandrasekaran’s appointment rose to prominence as the group needed to address a number of issues within the carrier after its divestiture, including the appointment of pilots, upgrading of the existing aircraft fleet and map mapping for the coexistence with the other aeronautical companies of the group. The most important program of the group is to make the carrier profitable as soon as possible.