Air India, IndiGo CEOs are under the spotlight in early 2026
India's two largest airlines enter 2026 looking to make more progress on their ambitious growth agendas, but the airlines - and their CEOs - will have to contend with heightened scrutiny from regulators and their own boards.
Both IndiGo and Air India experienced high-profile setbacks in 2025. For Air India, the investigation continues into the crash of flight AI171 in Jun-2025, while the airline's fleet upgrade and financial turnaround are taking longer than expected.
For IndiGo, a network meltdown in early Dec-2025 brought the ire of regulators and politicians, meaning the airline will likely take a more cautious approach to growth this year.
The two airlines are both led by CEOs who were hired from overseas airlines within two months of each other in 2022: Campbell Wilson at Air India, and Pieter Elbers at IndiGo.
They are highly regarded executives in the airline industry who were sought out to lead India's airlines through crucial growth phases, but they are now facing increasing political and public pressure.
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