彭博引述知情人士：印度航空候任CEO Tewolde 拟提升货运载货率（现约35%）并整治维修问题，9月7日正式接任

Air India Ltd.’s incoming Chief Executive Officer Tewolde Gebremariam is seeking to bolster the cargo business and curb plane maintenance problems, people familiar with the matter said, in an early glimpse of his strategy to turn around the loss-making carrier.

Tewolde, who has been meeting employees and management of parent Tata Group over the past month ahead of his official start in the job, flagged concerns that Air India is using only about 35% of its cargo load capacity on average, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the information is private. He takes over as the CEO on Sept. 7 from Campbell Wilson, who resigned in April.

The new CEO also told staff that he wants them to start working on a plan to reduce maintenance issues especially given the airline’s fleet is not very old, the people added.

A myriad of challenges confront Tewolde in the new job: Air India saw a record loss of 220 billion rupees ($2.3 billion) in the year through March, while India’s aviation regulator said last year that the airline had more safety-related issues than rivals. The losses prompted the carrier to ask the Tata Group and minority owner Singapore Airlines Ltd. for $1.1 billion in financial support, Bloomberg News reported in October. The requirement has since increased after the US-Iran war sent fuel prices soaring.

Read More: Air India’s CEO Pick Cemented by Crash Response, Pandemic Profit

Tewolde was chosen largely due to his track record in turning the Ethiopian Airlines Group into Africa’s largest and most-profitable carrier. His early interest in Air India’s low cargo load use reflects a playbook that worked at Ethiopian — his LinkedIn account boasts that the African carrier pivoted to “capitalize on the booming cargo sector during his tenure”, especially when the Covid-19 pandemic nearly shut passenger traffic. The African airline was the first to convert a new Airbus 350 for air shipments.

An Air India spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email seeking comments on the new CEO’s asks. “I have not yet started official work,” Tewolde said in response to a query by Bloomberg News, citing his starting date of Sept. 7.

Troubled Phase

Outgoing CEO Wilson’s plans for the airline were disrupted by the deadly crash of a Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner, the closure of Pakistani airspace to Indian carriers and the Middle East conflict that’s made flying routes longer. It is also facing a probe after a pilot of a flight involved in a sudden altitude drop tested positive for illegal drugs last month.

Read More: Air India Orders One-Off Drug Test for More Than 5,000 Pilots

Tata Sons Pvt. — the group’s holding company with a majority stake in Air India — and Singapore Airlines are yet to finalize the infusion, which will be in proportion to their ownership. But the proposed funding has drawn scrutiny from Kenneth Tiong, an opposition lawmaker in Singapore.

SIA has contributed substantial operational expertise to Air India, while it does not have corporate control, Tiong said in an emailed response to Bloomberg News. “It remains a 25.1% minority shareholder to Tata Sons’ 74.9% — an exposure that must be judged clear-eyed before any additional Singapore state capital is put at risk.”

But investment firm Temasek, SIA’s majority shareholder, last week backedthe infusion:“We view their business decision (on Air India) from a long-term perspective and are supportive of it.”