Air India said on Tuesday that chief executive officer Campbell Wilson had resigned after nearly four years ‌in the role, as the carrier grapples with persistent losses and heightened regulatory scrutiny following a crash last year that killed 260 people.

Wilson’s resignation comes just days after its bigger domestic rival, IndiGo, tapped aviation veteran Willie Walsh as its next CEO.

The country’s two largest carriers are under pressure ​from an industry crisis stemming from the West Asia conflict, compounded by domestic operational challenges.

Wilson, a former Singapore Airlines executive, was brought in to steer the carrier’s turnaround in 2022 after years of decline under government ownership.

Wilson had conveyed to Air India chairman N. Chandrasekaran in 2024 his intention to step down this year, the airline said in a statement, adding that the New Zealander will remain in the role until his successor is in place. Air India’s board has constituted a committee that will find Wilson’s successor in the coming months.

Since taking the helm at India’s No. 2 carrier, Wilson oversaw an overhaul of the engineering department and the refurbishment of planes amid supply chain disruptions.

“Over the last four years, Campbell did a good job in very tough circumstances,” Brendan Sobie, a Singapore-based independent aviation analyst, told Reuters.

“Finding the right candidate to complete (Air India’s) transformation will not be ​easy and Tata will particularly ​feel the pressure to get this right following IndiGo’s recent appointment of Willie Walsh,” he said.

In an internal mail to employees, Wilson said, “I am incredibly proud of what you have achieved, especially in the face of unprecedented headwinds in the form of aircraft delivery and supply chain challenges, two wars, crippling airspace closures and fuel prices and, most acutely, tragedy.”

“...The time is right for me to hand over the reins for the next phase of Air India’s rise,” Wilson added.

“Campbell and his team have demonstrated tenacity and resolve and have aligned an organisation drawn from many backgrounds behind the shared goal of building the new Air India that is now emerging.” Chandrasekaran said.