New Delhi, Nov. 13 -- Almost nobody in India's aviation sector today envies Tewolde Gebremariam, who recently took charge as chief executive officer of Air India. The airline is struggling with mammoth losses, lack of a distinct corporate culture and identity (a mishmash of four entities merged into one) and lack of clear guidance from its primary shareholder, Tata Sons, which has been embroiled and busy with a mini-battle of its own. Moreover, the airline suffers from the implications of working with several top management members unfamiliar with the airline business.

But even as Gebremariam tries to tackle the elephants in the room and put various pieces in place, its minority partner in the venture, Singapore Airlines (SIA), reiterate...