CEO Wilson explains why competition doesn't faze Air India in new avatar

As the airline prepares for takeoff in a new avatar, Campbell gives Nivedita Mookerji & Deepak Patel a view from the cockpit

We are to meet Campbell Wilson, CEO and MD of Air India, at a Taj hotel in New Delhi over lunch, but there’s a change in venue. Wilson has back-to-back meetings at his Gurugram headquarters, so we travel the extra mile(s) and meet at threesixtyone° at The Oberoi, a competitor to Tata group’s Taj chain. 

During our conversation over an extended lunch that follows, the Air India boss mentions the Tatas often. He draws our attention to the mega reset that’s been in the works at the airline over the two years since the government sold its 100 per cent stake in it to the salt-to-software conglomerate. We are seated on the deck facing the pool. It’s a pleasant winter afternoon and we order our meal while talking about mountains, seas and beaches. 

Campbell, as he prefers being called, tells us that he usually skips lunch since “I’m able to squeeze in two more meetings in that time”. This lunch is an exception and he’s dressed for it in a maroon bandhgala jacket paired with a white shirt. Without consulting the menu, he says he’ll have lamb biryani and dal makhani. Otherwise, idiyappam is the New Zealander-born’s favourite Indian dish. He’d discovered it during his many work-related trips to Kerala. We opt for tomato soup and kebabs. 

Taking off from his no-lunch schedule, what’s the day like for the man who’s steering an integration involving four airlines – a feat not witnessed in India before? Campbell, who has stayed in Singapore, Japan and Canada over the past two decades, with Scoot Airlines being his last assignment before he joined Air India in 2022, says he would ideally like to be in office by 7.30 am. But he realises that in India most people start late. So, he has delayed his arrival in the office to 8.30 am. Does he carry work home? Yes. Does he work on weekends? Yes. Does he work 70 hours a week — Infosys founder Narayana Murthy’s ask that went viral recently? “Do I have a choice?’’

In the 70-hour-a-week debate, he says output is more important than input. “There’s a time and place for everything, whether it is WFH (work from home) or 70 hours of work a week. The context is important,” he says. Giving Air India’s example, he highlights the importance of working in the office together. “When a transformation of this scale is on, getting people together to interact, to be physically together, is so important.”

The soup and kababs are perfect for this mildly cold day, and the conversation around aviation in India and the Air India’s flight path warms up. At a time when an aircraft induction every six days on average is like an anthem of sorts for Air India under the Tatas, what are the most challenging legacy issues it still faces, we ask. Campbell breaks it down into customer side and employee side issues. 

On the customer side, the aircraft have not been upgraded and modernised, especially from the inside, for decades, he points out. “They are not what they should be….’’ 

On the employee side, there’s been no clear job description, and hiring has happened only for the flying crew in the last 15 years. Also, there is no concept of reward for good work or consequences for mistakes, he says. And, for years, most employees have used Gmail for official communication — another legacy issue that demanded change. Campbell pauses to say, “I’m not casting blame, but Air India was a very different organisation. That also makes it an unprecedented opportunity for us to make it modern and efficient.’’ He likens it to the telecom sector, where legacy service providers had a monopoly until mobile telephony took over.

Speaking of legacy issues, what about requests for free upgrades from politicians and bureaucrats while flying Air India? “Much fewer than I expected,’’ Campbell replies. That’s possibly because of the respect for the Tata way of doing business, he guesses, adding that some others, like Singapore Airlines, never offer such upgrades. “If you do it once, you can’t say no the next time. It becomes a never-ending process.’’ 

The government would also engage Air India in disaster management work. How does that change, or does it? Campbell talks about the latest instance during the Israel-Gaza conflict. “We operated many flights to evacuate people after we got a request from the external affairs ministry. But we make sure we do our due diligence and follow the right process in such cases.”

The main course is served. Biryani, dal makhani and naan for Campbell, and mushroom risotto for us. As we savour our meal, the subject of competition lands on the table. 

IndiGo is toying with the idea of introducing business class on domestic flights, while Air India, through Air India Express, might operate a majority of domestic flights in the budget segment once the merger between AirAsia and Air India Express is complete. So will IndiGo’s business-class plan be a new challenge? “I won’t talk about any particular airline, but don’t forget that Air India has been operating around the world and competing with leading airlines with all sorts of cabin classes and cabin propositions,” Campbell, 52, says.

He explains why competition doesn’t frighten Air India in its new avatar. “A lot of the solutions are in our hands: Is our reputation good? Are we safe? Are we reliable? Is our seat product up to a certain standard? It is not easy to deliver, but that is certainly what we want to do.”

The food is delicious, Campbell says, as we discuss the state of aviation in India, bankruptcies, regulatory issues, tariffs, duopoly-like situations and customer behaviour. Skipping dessert, we order cappuccino instead as he passionately talks about the market dynamics. “India is such a huge travel market, but so much of the (international) market is not travelling on Indian carriers, in part because Air India and other Indian carriers either have not had the capacity investment or product investment or haven’t built the reputation,” he says. “If we can get better, all that market will come back to us.’’

Returning to the subject of seat configuration, does Air India plan to increase the number of first-class seats on international routes? Pointing out that on Boeing 777, Air India has some first-class seats, Campbell skirts the question when asked about a new first-class plan in the Dreamliner fleet. “We will give details if and when we review (it),’’ he says, adding that internationally, across airlines, the number of first-class seats has shrunk since business class is becoming so good. “That’s the trend, but there’s a market for first-class,’’ he says and leaves it at that.

We’ve been chatting for nearly 90 minutes, but there’s a question to be asked before he rushes off: How did he get into aviation? Campbell laughs. He was visiting his hockey teammate's brother, then an investment banker in New York, and asked him about the apartment he was living in. It overlooked the Empire State Building. When the teammate's brother said his company paid for it, Campbell started hunting for a job that would get him such an apartment. He applied to Coca-Cola, New Zealand Coffee Board and Singapore Airlines. A call from Singapore Airlines set him on a course that would eventually bring him to Air India to steer it as it flies through one of its most exciting times.