Air India's outgoing Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson met senior officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday as the recent Phuket-Delhi flight incident became a focus.
Wilson also said the discussions were focused on providing an update on the ongoing investigation of the incident. “We’re giving an update on the status of the investigation,” he said, and said it was up to the Civil Aviation Minister to provide more details.
#WATCH | Delhi: Air India’s outgoing CEO Campbell Wilson leaves after meeting senior officials of MoCA and DGCA regarding the Phuket-Delhi flight incident.
— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2026
He says, "We were just giving an update on the status of the investigation...It is up to him (MoCA Minister) to give an… pic.twitter.com/nI3zEtTVQP
The meeting follows a sudden loss of altitude on Air India flight AI2379, which was traveling from Phuket to Delhi on August 4. A plane, an Airbus A320neo, lost 300 feet of altitude while in cruise before stabilising and continuing to Delhi. There were people who were injured in the incident.
The incident has led to an official investigation by aviation authorities into the cause of the sudden altitude change. The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were secured to be examined as part of the investigation.
Wilson's meeting with senior aviation officials is of particular interest because of the wide-scale attention to flight safety and operational procedures. The government wants information from the airline as investigators try to determine how the plane suddenly changed altitude.
Airbus experts are also involved in the investigation, and France's Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) is expected to provide technical support to India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The involvement of the aircraft manufacturer and foreign aviation safety agency is a sign of the seriousness with which the authorities are looking at the incident.
The investigation is also looking into the results of post-flight screening of the pilots. The Ministry of Civil Aviation said the initial screening of the captain of the flight was not “negative” for psychoactive substances and that the sample was sent for confirmatory laboratory testing.
The development has increased Air India’s safety requirements as the airline is transforming the Tata Group. Campbell Wilson has been leading the airline since it returned to private ownership and has led a major restructuring and fleet modernisation programme.
His meeting with government and aviation officials comes as the airline is being questioned about the Phuket-Delhi incident and how it should prevent such incidents in the future.
Wilson’s relatively brief comments after the meeting suggested that detailed information about the investigation would come from the Ministry of Civil Aviation rather than the airline at this stage. Saying that it was up to the minister to deliver an update, the outgoing CEO suggested that the government would decide what information would be publicly disclosed while the investigation is still on track.
The incident was also quite remarkable as it occurred only weeks after other major aviation safety problems with Indian carriers and aircraft. Thus, regulators have come under much greater scrutiny over their duties in assessing flight operations and pilot safety.
Air India is now working with the authorities and supporting the passengers and crew who were injured, says an airline representative.
Investigators will review flight recorder data, cockpit communications, operational records and other evidence for possible reasons for altitude loss, and then evaluate the loss of altitude and determine why.
Airbus and BEA's involvement might help to examine technical and operational aspects of the event. Obviously, any conclusions about the exact cause will be informed by the evidence gathered during the official investigation.
Therefore, the latest meeting is another step in the government’s investigation of the Phuket-Delhi incident.
If no reason is given for the sudden descent, the aviation authorities will be able to identify the cause of the sudden altitude loss and determine if any additional safety and operational measures are needed.
