Hit by a surge in operational expenses due to the West Asia conflict, Air India has initiated a series of cost-containment steps, pausing annual salary hikes and asking employees to reduce discretionary spending. In a townhall meeting on Friday, CEO and MD Campbell Wilson cautioned the workforce that the year ahead could be “very, very difficult” unless external conditions improve. During the interaction with staff, Wilson, Chief Financial Officer Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer Ravindra Kumar GP stressed the urgent need to curb non-essential expenditure. Sharma explained that FY26 has already seen revenue soften due to global uncertainty, despite strong momentum in the previous financial year.