Senior leadership teams of Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines are set to meet on Thursday as Air India navigates leadership flux following CEO Campbell Wilson’s resignation, alongside an estimated loss of around ₹20,000 crore for FY26, sources told businessline.
Notably, the meet assumes significance as the airline plans a leadership transition.
Besides, the two stakeholders in Air India might take a call on the airline’s request for additional funds in the range of over ₹10,000 crore to tide over the current operating environment.
According to sources, the meeting is expected to move beyond a routine review, with discussions likely to centre on new leadership, execution priorities and accelerating the path to profitability.
Ensuring stability
The alignment between the two stakeholders is seen as crucial in ensuring stability during the transition.
Besides, the financial backdrop adds urgency to discussions between the two groups.
Furthermore, sources said that the current financial situation of the airline will be closely analysed, and a course correction might be initiated.
Air India’s losses are reportedly pegged at around ₹20,000 crore for FY26 due to airspace restrictions, costly jet fuel, and a depreciating rupee.
The current financial situation, sources cited, underlines the pressure on the balance sheet and might impact ongoing investments in fleet and service upgrades.
Cost discipline
The airline’s challenge remains balancing aggressive expansion with tighter cost discipline in a competitive global market.
On its part, Singapore Airlines, which holds a 25 per cent stake in the airline, is expected to play a key role in shaping the strategy, leveraging its operational expertise and global network, sources said.
The discussions, sources said, may explore deeper collaboration, including expanded commercial arrangements and closer operational alignment between the two airlines beyond their home markets.
Meanwhile, last week, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran, while addressing Air India’s employees, described the current juncture in the airline’s turnaround journey as a “critical stage”.
Fleet expansion
Speaking at a recent townhall in Gurugram, Chandrasekaran pointed to the scale of changes underway — over 17,000 hires, consolidation of four airlines into two, aggressive fleet expansion, and ongoing upgrades of legacy systems.
In addition, he highlighted that improvements in network planning and operational metrics are beginning to reflect in customer experience.
At the same time, Chandrasekaran flagged a “perfect storm” of industry headwinds impacting performance, stressing that safety remains non-negotiable while calling for tighter cost control, sharper execution, and stronger operational discipline.
Published on April 15, 2026