Union Home Ministry has given the security clearance to Air India CEO-designate Campbell Wilson, a development that will allow him to take charge of the airline, reported news agency PTI. Neither Air India nor home ministry has issued a public statement confirming the development.

Tata Sons officially announced the appointment of Wilson as chief executive officer and managing director of the air carrier on May 12. The Natarajan Chandrasekaran-helmed conglomerate recently took over the loss-making airline from the government. It was reported that through Wilson’s appointment, the airline wants to increase its international footprint.

Until recently, Wilson was the CEO of Scoot Tigerair Pte Ltd, the budget airline of Singapore Airlines. He has 26 years of experience in the aviation industry spanning both full-service and low-cost carriers. Wilson, 50, started his career as a management trainee with SIA in New Zealand in 1996. He then worked for SIA in Canada, Hong Kong and Japan. He returned to Singapore Airlines as the founding CEO of Scoot in 2011, which he led until 2016.

In March 2022, Air India appointed Ilker Ayci, former chairman and board member of Turkish Airlines, who later rejected the offer citing negative media reports, which he said had tainted the appointment. Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an offshoot of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) called upon the government to block Ayci’s appointment citing national security concerns. Ayci served as an advisor to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he was the mayor of Istanbul. Erdogan is a vocal India critic, known for regularly siding with Pakistan on international forums with respect to the Kashmir issue.