Air India (Tata Airlines)
Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Air India Limited of Talace Private Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle of Tata Sons, and operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving 102 domestic and international destinations.
The long-awaited
sale of India's national carrier Air India is now done. The Tata group has
snapped up the loss-making airline four years after the government announced
its intention to sell it. Air India is now back to the Tata stable, 68
years after the government nationalised it.
Air India (Tata Airlines)
Air
India is the flag carrier airline
of India, headquartered at New
Delhi. It is owned by Air India
Limited of Talace Private Limited, a SPV
of Tata Sons, and operates a fleet
of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving 102 domestic and international
destinations. The airline has its hub at Indira Gandhi
International Airport, New Delhi, alongside several
focus cities across India. Air India is the largest international carrier out
of India with an 18.6% market share. Over 60 international destinations
are served by Air India across four continents. The airline became the 27th member
of Star Alliance on 11 July 2014.
The
airline was founded by J. R. D. Tata as Tata
Airlines in 1932; Tata himself flew its first single-engine de
Havilland Puss Moth, carrying air mail from Karachi's Drigh
Road Aerodrome to Bombay's Juhu aerodrome and later continuing to Madras (currently Chennai). After World War II, it became a public
limited company and was renamed as Air
India. On 21 February 1960, it took delivery of its first Boeing
707 named Gauri Shankar and
became the first Asian airline to induct a jet aircraft in its fleet. In
2000–01, attempts were made to privatise Air India and from 2006 onwards, it
suffered losses after its merger with Indian Airlines. Another privatisation attempt was launched in 2017,
which concluded with ownership of the airline and associated properties
reverting back to the Tatas in 2021.
Air
India also operates flights to domestic and Asian destinations through its
subsidiaries Alliance
Air and Air India Express. Air India's mascot is the Maharajah (Emperor) and the logo consists of a flying swan
with the wheel of Konark inside
it.
History
Early Years (1932–1945)
As Tata Air Services
Air
India had its origin as Tata Air Services later renamed
to Tata Airlines founded by J. R. D. Tata of Tata Sons,
an Indian aviator and business tycoon. In April 1932, Tata won a contract
to carry mail for Imperial Airways and
the aviation department of Tata Sons was formed with two single-engine de
Havilland Puss Moths. On 15 October 1932, Tata flew
a Puss Moth carrying air mail from Karachi to Bombay (currently Mumbai) and the aircraft continued to Madras (currently Chennai) piloted by Nevill Vintcent, a former Royal
Air Force pilot and friend of Tata. The
airline fleet consisted of a Puss Moth aircraft and a de Havilland
Leopard Moth. Initial service included weekly
airmail service between Karachi and Madras via Ahmedabad and Bombay. In its first year of operation, the
airline flew 160,000 miles (260,000 km), carrying 155 passengers and 9.72
tonnes (10.71 tons) of mail and made a profit of Rs. 60,000 (US$840).
As Tata Airlines
The
airline launched its first domestic flight from Bombay to Trivandrum with a six-seater Miles Merlin. In 1938, it was re-christened as Tata Air
Services and later as Tata Airlines. Colombo in Ceylon
(now Sri Lanka) and Delhi were added to the destinations in 1938. During
the Second World War, the airline helped the Royal Air Force with troop
movements, shipping of supplies, rescue of refugees and maintenance of
aircraft.
Post-Independence (1947–2000)
As Air India
After
World War II, regular commercial service was restored in India and Tata
Airlines became a public
limited company on 29 July 1946 under the
name Air India. After Indian independence in 1947, 49% of the airline was acquired by
the Government of India in
1948. On 8 June 1948, a Lockheed Constellation L-749A named Malabar Princess (registered VT-CQP)
took off from Bombay bound
for London Heathrow marking the
airline's first international flight.
Nationalisation
In
1953, the Government of India passed the Air Corporations Act and purchased a
majority stake in the carrier from Tata Sons though
its founder J. R. D. Tata would
continue as Chairman till 1977. The company was renamed as Air India
International Limited and the domestic services were transferred to Indian
Airlines as a part of a
restructuring. From 1948 to 1950, the airline introduced services to
Nairobi in Kenya and to major European destinations Rome, Paris and Düsseldorf. The airline took delivery of its first Lockheed
Constellation L-1049 and inaugurated services
to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore.
All-Jet Fleet
On 21
February 1960, Air India International inducted its first Boeing 707-420, thereby becoming the first Asian airline to enter
the Jet Age. The airline
inaugurated services to New York on
14 May 1960. On 8 June 1962, the airline's name was officially truncated
to Air India and on 11 June 1962, Air India became the world's
first all-jet airline. In 1971, the airline took delivery of its first Boeing
747-200B named Emperor Ashoka (registered VT-EBD) and
introduced a new Palace in the Sky livery and branding. In
1986, Air India took delivery of its first Airbus A310-300. In 1993, Air India took delivery of a Boeing
747-400 named Konark (registered VT-ESM)
and operated the first non-stop flight between New York and Delhi.
Post-Liberalisation (since 2000)
In
2000–01, attempts were made to re-privatize Air India. In 2000, Air India
introduced services to Shanghai, China. On 23 May 2001, the Ministry of Civil
Aviation charged Michael Mascarenhas, the
then-managing director, with corruption. According to the ministry reports, the
airline lost approximately Rs. 570
million (US$8.0 million) because of extra commissions that
Mascarenhas sanctioned and he was later suspended from the airline. In May
2004, Air India launched a wholly owned low cost subsidiary called Air-India Express connecting cities in India with the Middle East and
Southeast Asia. Until 2007, Air India mainly operated on international
long-haul routes while Indian Airlines operated on domestic and international
short-haul routes.
Indian Airlines Merger
In
2007, Air India and Indian Airlines were merged under Air India Limited and the airline took delivery of its first Boeing
777 aircraft. The airline was invited to
be a part of the Star Alliance in 2007.
The
combined losses for Air India and Indian Airlines in 2006–07 were Rs. 7.7 billion (US$110 million) and
after the merger, it went up to Rs. 72
billion (US$1.0 billion) by March 2009. In July
2009, State
Bank of India was appointed to prepare a road
map for the recovery of the airline. The carrier sold three Airbus
A300 and one Boeing 747-300M in March 2009 for $18.75 million to finance the
debt. By March 2011, Air India had accumulated a debt of Rs. 426 billion (US$6.0 billion) and
an operating loss of Rs. 220 billion (US$3.1 billion),
and was seeking Rs. 429 billion (US$6.0 billion)
from the government.
A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General blamed the decision to buy 111 new aircraft and the
ill-timed merger with Indian Airlines for the poor financial situation. In
August 2011, the invitation to join Star Alliance was suspended as a result of
its failure to meet the minimum standards for the membership. The
government pumped Rs. 32 billion (US$450 million)
into Air India in March 2012.
On 1
March 2009, Air India made Frankfurt Airport its
international hub for onward connections to the United States from India.
However, the airline shut down the Frankfurt hub on 30 October 2010 because of
high operating costs. In 2010, financially less lucrative routes were
terminated and the airline planned to open a new hub for its international
flights at Dubai. In 2012, a study
commissioned by the Corporate Affairs Ministry recommended that Air India
should be partly privatised. In May 2012, the carrier invited offers from
banks to raise up $800 million via external commercial
borrowing and bridge financing. In May 2012, the airline was fined $80,000 by the
US Transportation Department for failing to post customer service and tarmac
delay contingency plans on its website and adequately inform passengers about
its optional fees.
In
2013, the then-Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh stated
privatisation was the key to the airline's survival. However, the opposition
led by the BJP and the CPI
(M) slammed the government. In 2013, the
Indian government planned to delay equity infusion of Rs. 300 billion (US$4.2 billion)
that was slated to be infused into the airline slowly over a period of eight
years. In January 2013, Air India cleared a part of its pending dues
through funds raised by selling and leasing back the newly acquired Boeing 787
Dreamliners. In March 2013, the airline posted
its first positive EBITDA after
almost six years and 20% growth in its operating revenue since the previous
financial year. Air India Limited split its engineering and cargo
businesses into two separate subsidiaries, Air India Engineering Services
Limited (AIESL) and Air India Transport Services Limited (AITSL) in
2013. In December 2013, the airline appointed veteran pilot SPS Puri as
its head of operations. The appointment was criticised by the Air India pilots
union as Puri allegedly has multiple violations to his name.
Star Alliance Membership
Air
India became the 27th member of Star Alliance on 11 July 2014. In August
2015, it signed an agreement with Citibank and State
Bank of India to raise $300 million in
external commercial borrowing to meet working capital
requirements. For FY 2014–15,
its revenue, operating loss and net loss were Rs. 198 billion (US$2.8 billion), Rs. 2.171 billion (US$30 million)
and Rs. 5.41 billion (US$76 million)
compared FY 2011–12, which were Rs. 147
billion (US$2.1 billion), Rs. 5.138
billion (US$72 million) and Rs. 7.55
billion (US$110 million). As of May 2017, Air India is
the third largest carrier in India (after IndiGo and Jet Airways), with a market share of 13%.
Re-privatisation
On 28
June 2017, the Government
of India approved the privatisation of Air
India. A committee has been set up to start the process. In March 2018,
the Government issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) to sell 76% stake of Air
India, along with low-cost airline Air
India Express, and a 50% stake of AISATS, a ground
handling joint venture with Singapore Airport Terminal Services (SATS).
According to the EOI, the new owner would have to take on a debt of ₹33,392 crore (US$4.7 billion) and
a bid would have to be submitted by mid-May as the Government wanted to
complete the selling process by the end of 2018, but no private firms
showed any interest in buying the debt-laden airline.
Having
failed on previous occasions to sell the airline, the Government decided to
sell 100% share of the airline and started its preparation in late-2019. On 27
January 2020, Government released the Expression of Interest (EOI) to invite
bidders. This time Govt. decided to sell 100% shares of both Air India and its
budget carrier Air
India Express as well as 50% shares of AISATS
and to attract more bidders this time, the government has already decreased
nearly Rs. 30,000 crore (US$4.2 billion)
of debts and liabilities in a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).
In
September 2021, government issued fresh tenders for selling the airlines,
where Spice
Jet's Ajay Singh-led consortium and Tata Sons shown
interest in the bid. Finally, On 8 October 2021, Air India, along with its
low cost carrier Air India Express and
fifty percent of AISATS, a ground handling company, were sold for ₹18,000 crore (US$2.5 billion) to
Talace Privately Limited, a Tata Sons' SPV.
Corporate Affairs and Identity
Headquarters
Air
India Limited is headquartered at the Indian Airlines House, New
Delhi. Air India moved its headquarters from Air India Building, Mumbai to
Delhi in 2013. The former headquarters is a 23-storey tower on Marine
Drive and was one of the targets of the 1993
Bombay bombings.
Subsidiaries
Current
Air
India Regional was established as Alliance Air, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Indian Airlines on 1 April 1996 and started operations on 21 June
1996. It was renamed Air India Regional after the merger
between Air India and Indian Airlines. Air India Express began operations
on 29 April 2005 and was initially owned by Air India Charters. It operates flights from South India to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Defunct
Air
India became the first Asian airline to operate freighters when Air
India Cargo was set up in 1954 and started its freighter operations
with a Douglas
DC-3 aircraft. Air India Cargo ended
freighter aircraft operations in early 2012.
Mascot
Air
India's mascot is the Maharajah (high king). It
was created by Bobby Kooka, the then-commercial director of Air India, and
Umesh Rao, an artist with J. Walter Thompson Limited in 1946. Kooka stated
that, "We call him a Maharajah for want of a better description. But his
blood isn't blue. He may look like royalty, but he isn't royal". Air
India adopted the Maharajah as its mascot in 1946. It was used in promoting it
although initially designed only for the airline's memo-pads. The
Maharajah was given a makeover in 2015 and the brand is represented by a
younger version.
Logo and Livery
Air
India's colour scheme is red and white. The aircraft were painted in white with
red palace style carvings on the outside of the windows and the airline's name
written in red. The name is written in Hindi on the port side fuselage and in
English on the port side tail. On the starboard side fuselage, the name is
written in English, and in Hindi on the starboard tail. The window scheme
was designed in line with the slogan Your Palace in the Sky. The
aircraft were earlier named after Indian kings and landmarks. In 1989, to
supplement its Flying Palace livery, Air India introduced a
new livery that included a metallic gold spinning wheel on a deep red-coloured
tail and a Boeing 747, Rajendra Chola, was the first aircraft to be
painted in the new colours.
The
first logo of Air India was a centaur, a
stylised version of Sagittarius shooting
an arrow in a circle representing the wheel of Konark. The logo chosen by founder J. R. D. Tata was introduced
in 1948 and represented the airline until 2007. On 22 May 2007, Air India
and Indian Airlines unveiled their new livery consisting of a Flying Swan with
the wheel of Konark placed inside it. The flying swan was morphed from the centaur
logo and the chakra was derived from Indian's erstwhile logo. On 15 May
2007, Air India refreshed its livery, making the Rajasthani arches along the
windows slightly smaller, extending a stylised line from the tail of the
aircraft to the nose and painting the underbelly red. The new logo features on
the tail and the engine covers with red and orange lines running parallel to
each other from the front door to the rear door.
Art Collection
Air
India built a collection of Indian art from 1956 to the mid 2000s. The
collection comprises works of important Indian artists and photographers of the
1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, sculptures, wood carvings, glass paintings, a large
collection of rare textiles, and more. Among the works are paintings
by M.F.
Husain and V.S. Gaitonde and sketches by Goan cartoonist Mario
Miranda. Some of the company's first purchases
helped launch the career of notable painter B. Prabha. The artwork was often sent to be hung in Air
India booking offices around the
world and used in menus and advertising material. Sometimes artists would
be sent to paint murals in foreign offices or be given airplane tickets in
exchange for art. In 1967 the company commissioned ashtrays from Salvador
Dalí and gifted a few hundred of them to its
first-class passengers. As payment, Dali asked for a baby elephant, which
Air India flew from Bangalore to Geneva, along with a mahout. In
the late 2010s, a plan to form a museum from the collection was stalled by
privatization plans. The artworks reside in a building in Nariman
Point, Mumbai.
Destinations
As of
December 2019, Air India flies to a total of 102 destinations including 57
domestic destinations and 45 international destinations in 31 countries across
five continents around the world. Its primary hub is located at Indira Gandhi
International Airport, New Delhi, and it has a
secondary hub at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport,
Mumbai.
Alliance
Air
India became the 27th member of Star Alliance on
11 July 2014.
Codeshare Agreements
Air
India has codeshare agreements with the following
airlines:-
·
Air
Astana
·
Air
Austral
·
Air
Canada
·
Air
India Express (Subsidiary)
·
Air
Seychelles
·
Avianca
·
Croatia
Airlines
·
EgyptAir
·
Ethiopian
Airlines
·
EVA
Air
·
Fiji
Airways
·
Hong
Kong Airlines
·
LOT
Polish Airlines
·
Lufthansa
·
Myanmar
Airways International
·
Royal
Brunei Airlines
·
Singapore
Airlines
·
SriLankan
Airlines
·
Swiss
International Air Lines
·
TAP
Air Portugal
· Turkish Airlines
Note that codeshare operations have been
suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fleet
Fleet Information
In
1932, Air India started operations with a de Havilland Puss Moth. It inducted its first Boeing 707-420 named Gauri
Shankar (registered VT-DJJ), thereby becoming the first
Asian airline to induct a jet aircraft in its fleet and on 4 August 1993, Air
India took the delivery of its first Boeing 747-400 named Konark (registered VT-ESM). Apart
from the Boeing aircraft, Air India also operates a wide range of Airbus
aircraft. In 1989, Indian Airlines introduced the Airbus A320-200 aircraft,
which Air India now uses to operate both domestic and international short haul
flights. In 2005, Indian Airlines introduced smaller A319s, which are now
used mainly on domestic and regional routes. After the merger in 2007, Air
India inducted the biggest member of the A320 family, the A321, to operate
mainly on international short haul and medium haul routes. At the same time,
Air India leased Airbus A330s to operate on medium-long haul international
routes. Currently Air India has many narrow body aircraft for domestic
destinations like A320, A321 and A320 neo. Air India has also many wide body
aircraft like Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 747-400 and Boeing
787-8 mainly for international destinations. Air India Express, a subsidiary of
Air India has a fleet of 25 Boeing 737-800.
Air India One (also referred to as AI-1 or AIC001) is the call
sign of any Air India aircraft carrying the
Prime Minister, President or
the Vice-President. Air India One
operates on one of the five Boeing 747-400s that Air India currently owns
as VIP flights.
Customised Embraer 135 and Boeing Business Jets are also used. On 17 June 2019, Air India
grounded its last Airbus A320 classic fleet,
which flown its last flight from Delhi to Mumbai.
Fleet Restructuring
As a
part of the financial restructuring, Air India sold five of its eight Boeing 777-200LR aircraft to Etihad Airways in December
2013. According to the airline, plans for introducing ultra-long flights with
service to Seattle, San
Francisco and Los Angeles were cancelled due to factors like high fuel prices
and weak demand. Air India flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco have been
resumed with more new international destinations. On 24 April 2014, Air
India issued a tender for leasing 14 Airbus A320 aircraft for up to six years, to strengthen its
domestic network. Air India has purchased many Boeing 787-8 dreamliners to
strengthen international operations.
Services
Cabin
The Boeing
777-200LR/777-300ER and Boeing 747-400 aircraft operated on long haul
flights are in a three-class configuration. Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A321 aircraft
have a two-class configuration. Airbus A320 aircraft operated
on domestic- and short haul international flights are in either an all-economy
configuration or a two-class configuration. Airbus A319 aircraft have a
full economy configuration. Air India serves meals on all international
flights and on domestic flights with a flight duration of over 90 minutes.
In-Flight Entertainment
Air
India aircraft are equipped with Thales i3000 in-flight entertainment system.
Passengers can choose from five channels airing Hindi and English
content. Air India's Boeing 777, 747 and 787 aircraft are also equipped
with personal on demand in-flight entertainment systems on which passengers can
choose from available content. Showtime is the official
entertainment guide published by Air India. Shubh Yatra (meaning Happy
Journey) is a bilingual in-flight magazine published in English and Hindi
by Air India.
Frequent Flyer Programme
Flying Returns is
Air India's frequent-flyer
programme. It is shared by Air India and its subsidiaries. The points can
be redeemed for awards travel on some other airlines.
Premium Lounges
The Maharaja
Lounge (English: Emperor's Lounge) is available for the
use of First and Business class passengers. Air India shares lounges with other
international airlines at international airports that do not have a Maharaja
Lounge available.
There are eight Maharaja
Lounges:
India
·
Chhatrapati
Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai
·
Indira
Gandhi International Airport, Delhi
·
Chennai
International Airport, Chennai
·
Kempegowda
International Airport, Bangalore
·
Rajiv
Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad
·
Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad
International
·
John
F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City
·
Heathrow
Airport, London
· San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco
Missions
Gulf War Evacuation
The
airline entered the Guinness
Book of World Records for the most people evacuated by civil airliner. Over
111,000 people were evacuated from Amman to Mumbai, a distance of 4,117
kilometres (2,558 mi), by operating 488 flights from 13 August to 11
October 1990 – lasting 59 days. The operation was carried out
during Persian
Gulf War to evacuate Indian expatriates from Kuwait and Iraq. The event was
later featured in the film Airlift.
Vande Bharat Mission
Vande Bharat Mission is
an evacuation mission implemented by government of India to evacuate its
citizens stranded in other countries due to lockdown announced by several
countries due to COVID-19
pandemic. The mission started on May 7, 2020 Air India and Air India
Express are presently participating in the mission to evacuate stranded
citizens.
Accidents and Incidents
· On 27 December 1947, a Douglas C-48C (registered VT-AUG) carrying nineteen passengers and four crew en route from Karachi to Bombay, crashed at Korangi Creek due to loss of control following instrument failure, killing all on board. This was the airline's first fatal accident. The aircraft had been notorious for electrical problems and had an unusual number of instrument replacements.
· On 3 November 1950, Air India Flight 245, a Lockheed L-749 Constellation (registered VT-CQP, Malabar Princess) carrying forty passengers and eight crew on a flight from Bombay to London via Cairo and Geneva, crashed on Mont Blanc in France, killing all on board. In 1966, Flight 101 crashed in nearly the exact same spot.
· On 13 December 1950, a Douglas C-47B (registered VT-CFK) carrying 17 passengers and four crew from Bombay to Coimbatore, crashed into high ground near Kotagiri due to a navigational error, killing all on board.
· On 15 September 1951, Douglas C-47A Dakota III VT-CCA lost control and crashed on takeoff from HAL Bangalore Airport with the autopilot turned on, killing a crew member; all 23 passengers survived.
· On 9 May 1953, Douglas C-47A VT-AUD crashed shortly after takeoff from Palam Airport following a loss of control due to pilot error, killing all thirteen passengers and five crew on board.
· On 11 April 1955, a bomb exploded in the right main landing gear bay of Lockheed L-749A Constellation VT-DEP Kashmir Princess, carrying eleven passengers and eight crew from Hong Kong to Jakarta. The right wing caught fire and the crew were forced to attempt a water landing. The wingtip dug into the water and the aircraft crashed, killing sixteen of the occupants.
· On 19 July 1959 Rani of Aera, a Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation (registered VT-DIN) carrying 46 people (39 passengers and seven crew) crashed on approach to Santacruz Airport in conditions of poor visibility due to rain. The aircraft suffered damage beyond repair and was written off. There were no fatalities.
· On 24 January 1966, Air India Flight 101 Kanchenjunga, a Boeing 707-420 (registered VT-DMN) carrying 117 people (106 passengers and 11 crew) crashed on Mont Blanc, France killing all on board including the noted Indian scientist, Homi J. Bhabha.
· On 1 January 1978, Air India Flight 855 Emperor Ashoka, a Boeing 747-200B (registered VT-EBD) crashed into the Arabian Sea after takeoff from Mumbai after the pilot became disorientated due to instrument failure, killing all 190 passengers and 23 crew on board.
· On 21 June 1982, Air India Flight 403 Gouri Shankar, a Boeing 707-420 (registered VT-DJJ) carrying 99 passengers and 12 crew from Kuala Lumpur to Bombay via Madras crashed while landing at Sahar International Airport during a rainstorm. The fuselage broke apart and seventeen people including two crew members were killed.
· On 23 June 1985, Air India Flight 182 Emperor Kanishka, a Boeing 747-200B (registered VT-EFO), was blown up in mid-air by a suitcase-bomb planted by Babbar Khalsa terrorists allegedly as revenge for the Indian Government's operation on the Golden Temple in June 1984. The flight was on the first leg on its Montreal-London-Delhi-Bombay flight when it exploded off the coast of Cork, Ireland in the Atlantic Ocean. All 307 passengers and 22 crew on board died.
·
On 7 May
1990, Air India Flight 132 Emperor Vikramaditya, a Boeing 747-200B
(registered VT-EBO) flying on the London-Delhi-Bombay route carrying 215 people
(195 passengers and 20 crew) caught fire on touch down at Delhi
airport due to a failure of an engine pylon-to-wing attachment. There were
no fatalities but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and written off.
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