New Delhi, Aug. 5 -- Air India has announced the appointment of former Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde Gebremariam as its new chief executive and managing director, four months after Campbell Wilson resigned, as the Tata Group-owned carrier enters the next phase of its transformation focused on expansion and profitability.

The appointment follows a global search overseen by a committee of Air India's board, which evaluated both internal and external candidates before unanimously selecting Gebremariam.

The leadership change also sets the stage for a new contest in Indian aviation. With India's two largest airlines now led by globally recognised aviation executives-Air India by Gebremariam and IndiGo by former International Air Trans...