Tata Sons chief urges Air India staff to tighten costs, lift service

Mumbai: Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Friday asked Air India employees to focus on cost control, improve services and "stay grounded" in the reality of the challenging situation, while reiterating the group's commitment to the airline.

Addressing an employee town hall at the Air India Group's headquarters in Gurugram, he said, "While our future is bright and we have laid a solid foundation for our ambition, we are going through a challenging time, the impact of which is most visible in the airline industry".

Also Read: 'Air India going through challenging time': N Chandrasekaran urges staff to focus on execution


Chandrasekaran reaffirmed that the Air India Board remains "committed" to the carrier and will continue to work closely with its management team.

What matters now is staying focused on execution, he said, adding that "our focus should be on what is within our control, where we can improve, be precise on costs and remain grounded in the reality of the situation".

The town hall meeting came in the backdrop of Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson quitting the airline, much ahead of the completion of his service contract with the Tata Group airline.

Also Read: Air India CEO Campbell Wilson quits; board aims to find successor by September

Campbell, who announced his resignation on April 7, had a five-year service contract with the airline, which was to end in July next year.

"The Tata Group remains committed to the Air India group. The Board is fully supportive and will continue to work closely with the management team," Chandrasekaran said while reaffirming the group's backing of the airline.

Air Indians have shown great "tenacity" in dealing with a perfect storm, and "we must continue with the same spirit that has been demonstrated," he said.