A month before being appointed as Air India‘s next chief executive officer (CEO), Tewolde Gebremariam was very close to taking over the role for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
As per a July report by Bloomberg, the Former Ethiopian Airlines chief had been shortlisted to take over as the CEO for PIA. The report added that Gebremariam was considered to boost the airline after its privatisation.
Last month, the Privatisation Commission of Pakistan announced the transfer of PIA’s management to the Arif Habib Corporation-led consortium. This was done in order to revive the struggling national carrier after buying a majority stake.
For years, Pakistan’s national airline has survived on government bailouts after struggling with massive losses and high debt caused by operational inefficiencies, an ageing fleet and political intervention.
With the privatisation of the airlines, the Arif Habib-led consortium plans to reclaim its market share by offering direct flights and doubling its fleet to 38 planes.
As part of this bid, PIA looked at the ex-Ethiopian Airlines chief as the nation’s airline grew into Africa’s largest carrier, providing a link to cities around the continent from its transit hub in Addis Ababa under his leadership.
Tewolde Gebremariam replaces Campbell Wilson
Air India on Wednesday announced the appointment of Tewolde Gebremariam as its new chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD).
This appointment comes after Campbell Wilson stepped down in April 2026.
“Tewolde Gebremariam is widely recognized as one of the most successful aviation chief executives. During his decade-plus tenure as CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group, he spearheaded a multi-billion-dollar expansion, transforming a regional carrier into Africa’s largest, most profitable, and decorated airline group—growing revenue by more than fourfold and fleet size nearly threefold,” said the statement issued by the airline.
“His unique strength lies in managing complex operational landscapes, driving cultural transformation, building competitive global hubs, and developing world-class MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) and aviation training infrastructure,” it added further.