Who Is Robert Isom? Air India CEO Faces Backlash For ‘Plagiarising' His Speech Post Plane Crash
Last week's tragic Air India crash has left the nation in shock. Flight AI 171, which departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, went down within a few seconds after take-off. The disaster has sent ripples across the country, with Air India facing both emotional fallout and mounting public scrutiny. Now, a fresh controversy has erupted. This time, over the speech by Air India CEO Campbell Wilson.
Campbell Wilson released a video statement after the crash, where he addressed the tragedy in a sombre tone. But social media users noticed something unusual. Parts of his speech appeared to be almost identical to a message delivered by American Airlines CEO Robert Isom after a crash in the US earlier this year. This led to accusations of plagiarising the message.
These remarks closely mirror those made by Robert Isom in his January statement following a fatal collision between an American Airlines flight and a military helicopter near Washington, D.C. that claimed at least 67 lives.
My perspective on the plagiarized message used by Air India CEO & MD Campbell Wilson in the aftermath of the deadly, tragic plane crash of Air India Boeing 787 in Ahmedabad https://t.co/sUhNWTwfGF #publicrelations #corporatecommunications pic.twitter.com/SRMzuD7YsM — Karthik 🇮🇳 (@beastoftraal) June 16, 2025
Who Is Robert Isom?
Robert Isom is the CEO of American Airlines and also leads its parent company, American Airlines Group. He took over as CEO in March 2022 and also serves on the airline's board of directors.
Before becoming CEO, Robert was the President of American Airlines from 2016 to 2022. During that time, he was in charge of the airline's commercial and day-to-day operations. The website further mentioned that he had also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at American and had held the same roles at US Airways as well.
Before joining US Airways, Robert Isom held senior roles across various domains, including finance, strategy, operations, and international business, at companies like GMAC, Northwest Airlines and America West Airlines. He began his professional journey at Procter & Gamble.
He is currently involved in many key airline industry groups. He is the Chairman of the oneworld Alliance Governing Board, Vice Chair of the Airlines for America Board of Directors and a member of the International Air Transport Association Board of Governors. He also serves on the Airlink Governor's Council.
Robert has a strong academic background too. He holds two undergraduate degrees, one in mechanical engineering and another in English from the University of Notre Dame. He also earned an MBA from the University of Michigan.
Plagiarism or Coincidence?
The similarities between Air India CEO Campbell Wilson and Robert Isom's speech have sparked strong reactions online.
A social media user wrote, 'So Air India boss even copied the condolence message? What competence!"
'Is it plagiarism, or perhaps they both used the same consultants/AI?" asked a person.
'Crisis communication demands authenticity. The striking similarities between Campbell Wilson's statement and Robert Isom's speech raise serious concerns about corporate messaging. In times of tragedy, sincerity matters more than scripted responses," a comment read online.
But some felt that such speeches are common and usually follow a standard format during tragic events.
'Is it really plagiarism? The SOPs in such situations are common, and if standard procedures are common, using similar/same verbatim to express thoughts is common too. There could and must be multiple things to criticise Air India, but this, in my opinion, is far-fetched," said someone.
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An individual said, 'These are standard communication guidelines followed by leaders during such unforeseen accidents. We should rather focus our thoughts and prayers on the grieving families. For the curious minds: how such an accident happened despite tech advancements is where we need to focus."
Of the 242 people on board the ill-fated Air India flight, only one survived.
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Delhi, India, India
First Published:
June 18, 2025, 10:29 IST
News viral Who Is Robert Isom? Air India CEO Faces Backlash For 'Plagiarising' His Speech Post Plane Crash
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