| |||||||
Founded | 15 October 1932 (as Tata Airlines) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Commenced operations | 29 July 1946[2] | ||||||
Hubs | Indira Gandhi International Airport (Delhi) | ||||||
Secondary hubs | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Mumbai) | ||||||
Focus cities |
| ||||||
Frequent-flyer program | Flying Returns | ||||||
Alliance | Star Alliance | ||||||
Subsidiaries | Air India Express | ||||||
Fleet size | 128 | ||||||
Destinations | 84 | ||||||
Parent company | Air India Limited (Tata Group) | ||||||
Headquarters | Gurugram, Haryana, India | ||||||
Key people | |||||||
Founder | J. R. D. Tata | ||||||
Revenue | ₹31,377 crore (US$3.9 billion) (FY 2022-23)[3] | ||||||
Profit | ₹−11,381 crore (US$−1.4 billion) (FY 2022-23)[3] | ||||||
Website | www |
Air India is the flag carrier airline of India. It is owned by Air India Limited, a Tata Group enterprise and operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving 102 domestic and international destinations. It is headquartered in Gurugram. The airline has its main hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi and secondary hub at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai alongside several focus cities across India. As of July 2023, the airline is the second-largest airline in India in terms of passengers carried, after IndiGo. Air India 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 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 privatization attempt was launched in 2017, which concluded with ownership of the airline and associated properties reverting to Tata group in 2022.
Air India also operates flights to domestic and Asian destinations through its subsidiary Air India Express. Air India operates a mix of narrow body aircraft such as the Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737 used for most domestic and short haul international routes and wide body aircraft such as the Airbus A350, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 aircraft for long haul international routes. Air India's mascot is the Maharajah (Emperor) and the erstwhile logo consisted of a flying swan with the wheel of Konark inside it, before being replaced by a new logo inspired by the airline's Jharokha window pattern in 2023.
History
Early years (1932–1945)
Air India had its origin in Tata Sons, founded by J. R. D. Tata, an Indian aviator and business tycoon.[4] 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.[5] The airline fleet consisted of a Puss Moth aircraft and a Leopard Moth.[6][7] 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 ₹60,000 (US$750).[8][9] Later, the airline launched a domestic flight from Bombay to Trivandrum with a six-seater Miles Merlin.[10] In 1938, it was re-christened as Tata Air Services and later as Tata Airlines. Delhi and Colombo were added to the destinations in 1938.[5] During the Second World War, the airline helped the Royal Air Force with troop movements, shipping of supplies, rescue of refugees and maintenance of planes.[5]
Post Independence (1946–2000)
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.[2] After the Indian independence in 1947, 49% of the airline was acquired by the Government of India in 1948.[11] 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.[5] 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 until 1977.[12] The company was renamed as Air India International Limited and the domestic services were transferred to Indian Airlines as a part of restructuring.[13] From 1948 to 1950, the airline introduced services to Nairobi in Africa and to major European destinations Rome, Paris and Düsseldorf.[14] The airline took delivery of its first Lockheed Constellation L-1049 named Rani of Jhansi (registered VT-DGL) and inaugurated services to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore.[14]
On 21 February 1960, Air India International 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.[15][16] The airline inaugurated services to New York on 14 May 1960.[14] On 8 June 1962, the airline's name was officially truncated to Air India[2] 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)[17] and introduced a new Palace in the Sky livery and branding. In 1986, Air India took delivery of its first Airbus A310-300.[14] 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.[18]
Financial trouble, merger with Indian and later (2000–2022)
In 2000–01, attempts were made to re-privatize Air India.[19][20][21][22] 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 ₹570 million (US$7.1 million) because of extra commissions that Mascarenhas sanctioned and he was later suspended from the airline.[23] 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. In 2007, Air India and Indian Airlines were merged under Air India Limited[24] and the airline took delivery of its first Boeing 777 aircraft.[14] The airline was invited to be a part of the Star Alliance in 2007.[25]
The combined losses for Air India and Indian Airlines in 2006–07 were ₹7.7 billion (US$96 million) and after the merger, it went up to ₹72 billion (US$900 million) by March 2009.[26][27] In July 2009, State Bank of India was appointed to prepare a road map for the recovery of the airline.[28] The carrier sold three Airbus A300 and one Boeing 747-300M in March 2009 for $18.75 million to finance the debt.[29] By March 2011, Air India had accumulated a debt of ₹426 billion (US$5.3 billion) and an operating loss of ₹220 billion (US$2.8 billion), and was seeking ₹429 billion (US$5.4 billion) from the government.[30][31] A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General blamed the decision to buy 111 new planes and the ill-timed merger with Indian Airlines for the poor financial situation.[32][33] 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.[34][35] The government pumped ₹32 billion (US$400 million) into Air India in March 2012.[36][37]
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.[38] In 2010, financially less lucrative routes were terminated and the airline planned to open a new hub for its international flights at Dubai.[39] In 2012, a study commissioned by the Corporate Affairs Ministry recommended that Air India should be partly privatised.[40] In May 2012, the carrier invited offers from banks to raise up $800 million via external commercial borrowing and bridge financing.[41] 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.[42]
In 2013, the then-Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh stated privatisation was the key to the airline's survival.[43] However, the opposition led by the BJP and the CPI(M) slammed the government.[44] In 2013, the Indian government planned to delay equity infusion of ₹300 billion (US$3.8 billion) that was slated to be infused into the airline slowly over a period of eight years.[45] 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.[46][47] 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.[48][49] 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.[50][51] 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.[52]
Air India became the 27th member of Star Alliance on 11 July 2014.[53][54] 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.[55] For FY 2014–15, its revenue, operating loss and net loss were ₹198 billion (US$2.5 billion), ₹2.171 billion (US$27 million) and ₹5.41 billion (US$68 million) compared FY 2011–12, which were ₹147 billion (US$1.8 billion), ₹5.138 billion (US$64 million) and ₹7.55 billion (US$95 million).[56] As of February 2016, Air India is the third largest carrier in India, after IndiGo and Jet Airways with a market share of 15.4%.[57][58][59][60]
Post privatization (2022–present)
On 28 June 2017, the Government of India approved the privatisation of Air India and set up a committee to decide the details.[61] In March 2018, the Government issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) to sell a 76% stake in Air India, along with low-cost airline Air India Express, and a 50% stake in 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$4.2 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.[62] However, no private firms showed any interest to buy a share in the debt-laden airline.[63]
Having failed to sell off a majority stake the airline, the Government decided to completely exit the airline and invited fresh EOIs on 27 January 2020. In order to attract bidders this time, the government reduced the debt burden on Air India by moving nearly ₹30,000 crore (US$3.8 billion) of the company's debts and liabilities to a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).[64][65] In view of the prevailing situation arising out of COVID-19, the last date for submission of interest was extended multiple times and the Government eventually received EOIs from seven parties by December 2020.[66] Five of these parties were disqualified and the Government invited financial bids for Air India from the two qualified parties in September 2021.[67]
In September 2021, Spice Jet's Ajay Singh-led consortium and Tata Sons submitted their financial bids for Air India.[68] On 8 October 2021, Air India along with its low cost carrier Air India Express and fifty per cent of AISATS, a ground handling company, were sold for ₹18,000 crore (US$2.3 billion) to Tata Group.[69][70] On 27 January 2022, the airline was officially handed over to Tata Group.[71] On 14 February 2022, after its re-privatization, the airline appointed İlker Aycı, former Chairman of Turkish Airlines as its new CEO and managing director to take charge on or before 1 April 2022 which did not materialize.[72][73] In March 2022, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the chairman of Tata Sons was appointed as the chairman of the airline and in May 2022, Campbell Wilson was announced as the CEO and MD.[74][75]
After the airline's acquisition, Tata Group began discussion on bringing the other airlines including Vistara and AirAsia India where it held a stake under a unified umbrella. In November 2022, Air India acquired AirAsia's stake in AirAsia India, renamed it into AIX Connect and announced plans to merge it with Air India Express.[76] On 29 November 2022, Air India announced the merger with Vistara by March 2024 with Singapore Airlines which owns a 49% stake in Vistara getting a 25% stake in the newly formed airline.[77] Vistara brand would be discontinued post the merger and the brand will operate under the Air India name.[78][79]
On 15 September 2022, the Tata Group announced Vihaan, a five year transformation goal aimed at restructuring and transforming Air India in phases.[80][81][82] On 14 February 2023, Air India announced an order for 470 aircraft consisting of including 250 from Airbus and 220 from Boeing at a cost of US$70 billion, which set the record for the world's largest aircraft order at the time.[83] On 10 August 2023, the airline announced a rebranding exercise named "Vista" with a new livery and logo.[84][85] On 1 January 2024, Air India announced that it will begin operating its first Airbus A350 aircraft on domestic routes from 22 January 2024 before expanding to international destinations.[86]
Corporate affairs and identity
Business trends
The key trends for Air India are:
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Revenue (₹bn)[87] | 206 | 221 | 238 | 264 | 285 | 121 | 198 |
Net profit (₹bn)[87] | −38.3 | −64.5 | −53.4 | −85.5 | −79.8 | −70.8 | −95.9 |
Number of passengers (mn) | 18.0 | 19.1 | 21.1 | 22.1 | 22.5 | 6.3 | 11.5 |
Passenger load factor (%) | 75.6 | 76.3 | 79.0 | 79.8 | 68.4 | 73.5 | |
Freight carried (000 tonnes) | 192 | 196 | 204 | 240 | 221 | 74.9 | 169 |
Fleet size[88] | 135 | 136 | 158 | 171 | 127 | 124 | 165 |
Reference | [89] | [89] | [90][91] | [92] | [92] | [93] | [94] |
In FY23 the net loss was ₹113 billion.[95]
Headquarters
Air India Limited is headquartered at the Indian Airlines House, New Delhi.[96][97] Air India moved its headquarters from Air India Building, Mumbai to Delhi in 2013. The former headquarters is a 23-story tower on Marine Drive and was one of the targets of the 1993 Bombay bombings.[96][98] In 2023, Air India moved its headquarters to Gurugram in the National Capital Region.[99]
Subsidiaries
Current
Air India Express began operations on 29 April 2005 and was initially owned by Air India Charters and operate flights from South India to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.[100][101] In November 2022, Air India acquired AirAsia's stake in AirAsia India, renamed it into AIX Connect and announced plans to merge it with Air India Express.[102]
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.[14] Air India Cargo ended freighter aircraft operations in early 2012.[103]
Alliance Air was a wholly owned subsidiary of Indian Airlines established on 1 April 1996. It started operations on 21 June 1996. It was renamed Air India Regional after the merger between Air India and Indian Airlines.[104] It was renamed back to Alliance Air in 2017 and ceased being a subsidiary of Air India in April 2022 when the Government of India sold Air India to the Tata group.[105]
Mascot
Air India's mascot is the Maharajah (high king).[106][107] 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.[108] 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".[109] 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.[110] The Maharajah was given a makeover in 2015 and the brand is represented by a younger version.[111] In 2023, the Maharajah was given a makeover and was revealed that the mascot would only be used in certain aspects of the airline like the premium lounges and crockery.[112]
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, the name is written in English on the fuselage, and in Hindi on the tail.[113] The window scheme was designed in line with the slogan Your Palace in the Sky.[14] 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.[14]
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.[114] 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.[115] 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.[107]
After the airline's acquisition by the Tata Group, the airline revealed its brand new logo and livery on 10 August 2023.[116][117] The new livery features a palette of deep red, aubergine, and gold with chakra pattern and the new logo is inspired by the airline's Jharokha window pattern.[118] In December 2023, the airline unveiled new uniforms for its crew and rolled out its new identity with an Airbus A350-900, the first aircraft to be re-branded.[119][120][121]
Art collection
Air India maintained a collection of Indian art from 1956 comprising works of important Indian artists and photographers, sculptures, wood carvings, glass paintings, rare textiles etc.[122] The artworks were often sent to be hung in Air India booking offices around the world and used in promotional material.[122] In 1967, the company commissioned ashtrays from Salvador Dalí and gifted an elephant calf as payment.[123] In 2010, a plan to establish a museum from the collection was stalled and the artworks reside in a building in Nariman Point, Mumbai.[122] Air India organized the first ever exhibition of these art at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi, titled Air India Salutes Indian Masters in 2013.[124] Following a memorandum of understanding agreed between the airline and the Ministry of Culture, the art collection was transferred to the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in Mumbai in January 2023.[125] The art was put up for exhibition titled Maharaja’s Treasure: Select Works of Art from the Famed Air India Collection.[126][127]
Destinations
As of December 2023, Air India flies to a total of 84 destinations, including 44 domestic destinations and 40 international destinations in 37 countries across five continents around the world.[128] 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.[129] Air India operates some of the world's longest non-stop flights.[130]
Alliance
Air India became the 27th member of Star Alliance on 11 July 2014.[53][54]
Codeshare agreements
Air India has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:[131]
Interline agreements
Fleet
As of January 2024, Air India operates a fleet of 128 aircraft, both narrowbody and widebody aircraft with a fleet composed of Airbus A319, A320, A320neo, A321, A321neo as well as Boeing 777 and Boeing 787.[134]
Fleet information
In 1932, Air India started operations with De Havilland Puss Moth. On 21 February 1960, Air India International 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.[15] In 1971, the airline took delivery of its first Boeing 747-200B named Emperor Ashoka (registered VT-EBD)[17] In 1986, Air India took delivery of its first Airbus A310-300.[14] On 4 August 1993, Air India took the delivery of its first Boeing 747-400 named Konark (registered VT-ESM).[135][18] In 1989, Indian Airlines introduced the Airbus A320-200 aircraft, which Air India now uses to operate both domestic and international short haul flights.[14] In 2005, Indian Airlines introduced the smaller, A319, which are now used mainly on domestic and regional routes.[14] After the merger in 2007, Air India inducted the A321, to operate mainly on international short haul routes and leased the Airbus A330s to operate on medium-long haul international routes. The airline's first Boeing 777-200LR aircraft was delivered on 26 July 2007, which was named Andhra Pradesh.[136] Air India received its first Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on 9 October 2007 and the aircraft was named as Bihar.[137] Air India received its first Boeing 787 dreamliner aircraft on 6 September 2012 and commenced flights on 19 September 2012.[138]
Air India One is the call sign of any Air India aircraft carrying the Prime Minister, President or the Vice-President.[139][140][141] Though the call-sign of Air India is used, these flights are operated on customized Boeing 777-300ER aircraft owned by Indian Air Force and maintained by Air India on a special contatract..[142]
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.[143] In April 2014, the airline decided to sell its remaining three Boeing 777-200LRs as well, citing higher operating costs.[144] 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.[145]
New aircraft orders
On 11 January 2006, Air India announced an order for 68 jets – 8 Boeing 777-200LR, 15 Boeing 777-300ER, 18 Boeing 737-800 and 27 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. The eighteen Boeing 737s ordered were later transferred to Air India Express and Air India took delivery of the dream liners.[146] On 14 February 2023, Air India announced an order for 470 aircraft with Airbus and Boeing consisting of 210 A320neo family, 40 A350, 190 737 MAX, 20 787-9 and 10 777-9 aircraft at a cost of US$70 billion with deliveries beginning late 2023.[83]
Services
Cabin
The Boeing 777-200LR/777-300ER aircraft operated on long haul flights are in a three-class configuration.[147][148] Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A321 aircraft have a two-class configuration.[149][150] Airbus A320 aircraft operated on domestic- and short haul international flights are in either an all-economy configuration or a two-class configuration.[151][152] Airbus A319 aircraft have a full economy configuration.[153] Air India serves meals on all international flights and on domestic flights with a flight duration of over 90 minutes.[154]
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.[155] Air India's Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft are also equipped with personal on-demand in-flight entertainment systems on which passengers can choose from available content.[156] 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.[157]
Frequent flyer programme
Flying Returns is Air India's frequent-flyer programme. It was India's first frequent flyer programme and is shared by Air India and its subsidiaries. A member can earn mileage points and redeem them during future travel. On higher fares, passengers will earn bonus miles and clock mileage points.[158]
Missions
As the flag carrier, Air India is often involved in evacuation of civilians during wars. The airline entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the most people evacuated by civil airliner.[159] 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.[159][160][161][162] The event was later featured in the film Airlift.[163]
In February-March 2011, Air India evacuated of more than 15,000 Indian nationals during the Libyan civil war.[164] In March-April 2015, the airline was involved in Operation Raahat during the Yemeni civil war.[164] In August 2021, Air India evacuated 669 people under Operation Devi Shakti from war-torn Afghanistan during the 2021 Taliban offensive.[165] In February 2022, Air India evacuated Indian citizens from Russia and Ukraine as a part of Operation Ganga during the Russo-Ukrainian War.[166] In October 2023, the airline evacuated people from Israel during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war as a part of Operation Ajay.[167]
Awards and recognitions
- Preferred International Airline for travel and hospitality from Awaz Consumer Awards (2006)[168]
- Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative by Galileo Express Travel World[169]
- Best Short-Haul International Airline by Galileo Express Travel World (2008)[169]
- Corporate Excellence Award by Amity University (2006)[169]
- Trusted Brand by Reader's Digest (2006)[169]
- Dun and Bradstreet Award (D&B), first in terms of revenue out of the top airline companies out of India (2006)[169]
- Best South Asian Airline, Mice and business travel publications (2006)[169]
- Cargo Airline of the Year, 26th Cargo Airline of the Year Awards[170]
- Montreal Protocol Public Awareness Award by the United Nations for environmental protection[171]
- Air India was named India's most trusted airline by The Brand Trust Report 2015.[172]
Air India's ground services became the first ground service provider to acquire ISO 9002 certification on 31 January 2001.[173][174]
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.[175]
- 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.[176][177] 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.[178]
- 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.[179]
- 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.[180]
- 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.[181][182]
- 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, Bombay in conditions of poor visibility due to rain. There were no fatalities but the aircraft suffered damage beyond repair and was written off. [183]
- 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.[184]
- 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 Bombay after the pilot became disorientated due to instrument failure, killing all 190 passengers and 23 crew on board.[17]
- 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 airport during a rainstorm. The fuselage broke apart and seventeen people including two crew members were killed.[185][186]
- 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 of 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.[187]
- 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.[188]
See also
References
- ↑ 7340.2F with Change 1 and Change 2 and Change 3 (PDF) (Report). Federal Aviation Administration. 15 September 2016. pp. 3–1–11. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 February 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- 1 2 3 "Air India, Indian airline". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- 1 2 "Air India's losses up by 18 per cent in FY23; revenues double". The Hindu. 30 October 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "Airline Companies of the World". Flight International. 27 April 1939. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 "How Maharaja got his wings". Tata Sons. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
- ↑ Seth, Pran Nath; Bhat, Sushma Seth (2005). An introduction to travel and tourism. Sterling Publishers. ISBN 978-81-207-2482-2.
- ↑ Behari, Bapu (1996). Astrological Biographies: Seventeen Examples of Predictive Insights. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-1322-9.
- ↑ "Switzerland Schweiz Suisse Svizzera". Air India. Archived from the original on 11 August 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
- ↑ Subramanian, Samanth (15 October 2012). "When Air India Was Efficient, Profitable and Growing Fast". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ↑ "Humane Face of IAF: Aid to the Civil Administration" (PDF). Medind.nic.in. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ↑ Air Transport Inquiry Committee (21 December 2023). Report of the Air Transport Inquiry Committee, 1950. University of California. p. 28.
- ↑ "Air India: Air India was at its peak during the JRD Tata times: Jitendra Bhargava, Former ED, Air India". The Economic Times. 21 June 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ↑ "Air Corporations Act, 1953" (PDF). Government of India. DGCA. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Timeline: Air India". Air India. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- 1 2 Sabharwal, Gopa (2007). India Since 1947: The Independent Years. Penguin India. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-14-310274-8.
- ↑ Sean Mendis. "Air India : The history of the aircraft fleet". Retrieved 2 April 2014.
- 1 2 3 "Theory on Air India Crash Backed by a Pilot". The New York Times. 21 April 1985. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- 1 2 Jethmalani, Ram. "The dying Maharaja's last sigh". Sunday Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "India privatisation plans near 'collapse'". BBC. 3 September 2001. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ↑ "Tata still eyeing Air India". BBC. 3 September 2001. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Singapore Airlines pulls out". The Hindu. 2 September 2001. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ Timmons, Heather (25 May 2011). "Criticism of State-Owned Air India Grows". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ↑ Katakam, Anupama (21 April 2014). "Controversy in the air". Frontline. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "National Aviation Company of India Limited" (PDF). Air India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
- ↑ "Star Alliance invites Air India to join". The Economic Times. 13 December 2007. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
- ↑ "What sent Air India crashing?". The Economic Times. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- ↑ "Air India restructuring plans being readied". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 9 July 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- ↑ "SBI Caps prepares roadmap for Air India restructuring". DNA India. 22 July 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- ↑ "AI sells 4 aircraft in Mar to tackle financial crunch". The Financial Express. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- ↑ "Air India's recurring default 'credit negative' for its banks". Mint-Wall Street Journal. 9 August 2011.
- ↑ "State Bank of India Credit Rating". Moodys.com. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ↑ "Air India aircraft acquisition was necessary". Malayala Manorama. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ Choudhury, Santanu (8 September 2011). "Auditor Slams Air India Plane Orders". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Star Alliance and Air India put Air India's Alliance Membership Application on hold" (PDF) (Press release). Star Alliance. 31 August 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 March 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ↑ "Air India, Star Alliance resume talks". Hindustan Times. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 16 December 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
- ↑ Sundaram, Karthikeyan; Narayan, Adi (14 March 2012). "Air India Aid Dwarfing Hospital Budget Adds to Kingfisher Pain". Bloomberg.
- ↑ "Air India: Problems run deep in India's national airline". BBC. 16 May 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Air India to use Terminal-3 as hub of operations". NDTV. 14 July 2010. Archived from the original on 18 July 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
- ↑ "Dubai in talks over hub". The National. Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ↑ "Air India should be partly privatised, says study". The Economic Times. 30 September 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Air India seeks proposals to raise up to $800 million in debt". The Economic Times. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "$80,000 Fine Slapped on Air India by US". Outlook. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Air India must perform or perish: Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh". NDTV. 6 October 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ Mehdudia, Sujay (7 October 2013). "Opposition slams Ajit Singh for AI plan". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Debt laden Air India unlikely to get government bailout of Rs 30,000 crore by 2020–21". The Economic Times. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ↑ "GMR Infra gets Rs 415 cr in outstanding dues from Air India". Business Today. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
- ↑ "Air India puts Dreamliner planes for sale, leaseback". The Economic Times. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- ↑ "Air India likely to end fiscal with Rs 65 crore positive EBITDA". The Economic Times. 10 March 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Significant improvements in Air India's performance parameters". The Economic Times. 1 April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ↑ "Air India engineers threaten to drag management to court". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ↑ "Companies – Air India". Live Mint. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- ↑ Singh, Bipin Kumar (20 December 2013). "Air India appoints 'biggest violator' as its operational head, pilots furious". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
- 1 2 Young, Kathryn M. (25 June 2014). "Air India to join Star Alliance July 11 | Finance & Data content from". ATWOnline. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- 1 2 "Air India to join Star Alliance in 2014". Star Alliance. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
- ↑ "Can Ashwani Lohani turn Air India around?". Business Standard. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ↑ "Significant improvements in Air India's performance parameters". NDTV. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "India's domestic passenger demand up 25 percent: IATA". Business Standard. 6 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
- ↑ "Air India market share slips to fifth slot". The Economic Times. New Delhi. 24 June 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ↑ Kumar, Nirbhay (16 November 2007). "Spice, IndiGo close in on Jet, Air India market share". The Economic Times. New Delhi. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ↑ "IndiGo market share shrinks for 2nd month in a row in December". The Times of India. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ↑ "Air India cleared for privatisation by Delhi". BBC News. 28 June 2017. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ↑ Mishra, Mihir (29 March 2018). "Government invites bids to sell 76 per cent stake in Air India". The Economic Times. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ↑ "With no buyers for Air India, Modi government may be open to listing airline on stock market". The Indian Express. Reuters. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
- ↑ "Air India sale: EoI out, govt to completely exit airline". Money Control. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ Noronha, Peter (27 January 2020). "For 100% Sale Of Air India, March 17 Deadline For Bids: 10 Points". NDTV. Reuters. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "Air India EOI deadline extended for the 4th time". The Hindu. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
- ↑ "3 attempts, 20 years: Why government was able to sell Air India this time". The Times of India. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
- ↑ Phadnis, Aneesh (15 September 2021). "Tatas, SpiceJet's Ajay Singh submit financial bids to acquire Air India". Business Standard India. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ↑ "Air India: Struggling national carrier sold to Tata Sons". BBC News. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ↑ "Air India acquisition: What Tatas will get". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- ↑ Saha, Poulomi (27 January 2022). "Air India handed over to Tata Group". India Today. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ Chandra, Jagriti (1 March 2022). "Ilker Ayci declines Air India CEO's post". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ↑ Sinha, Saurabh (1 March 2022). "Ilker Ayci: Ilker Ayci declines Tata Group's offer to be CEO & MD of Air India: Sources". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ↑ Freed, Jamie; Monnappa, Chandini (12 May 2022). "Scoot CEO Wilson appointed head of Air India". Reuters. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ↑ Vijayaraghavan, Kala. "Tata Sons chief N Chandrasekaran appointed as chairman of Air India". The Economic Times. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
- ↑ "AirAsia India-Air India Express merger likely by 2023-end: Air India". Indian Express. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ Sharma, Anu (27 February 2023). "Air India to end brand Vistara after merger". mint. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "Tata Group to Consolidate Air India and Vistara" (Press release). Tata. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ Majumder, Arindam (21 February 2023). "Air India and Vistara kick off their integration process". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "Air India done with first phase of its 5-year turnaround plan. What is next on the cards?". The Economic Times. 6 April 2023. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ↑ "Vihaan.AI: Air India's five-year plan to become lord of the skies". mint. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ↑ "Air India: Putting the Raja back in the Maharaja". CNBC. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- 1 2 "Air India Announces Order for 470 Aircraft". The Hindu. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ↑ "Air India unveils its new logo, the iconic Maharaja to be revamped". The Times of India. 13 August 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "Air India to spend $400 million on cabin upgrade of existing 40 wide body aircraft". The Times of India. 8 December 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "Air India to start operating A350 aircraft from January 22". The Indian Express. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- 1 2 Air India: financial performance 2022 (Report). Statista. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ Air India Ltd.: number of airplanes (Report). Statista. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- 1 2 Air India Annual Report 16-17 (PDF) (Report). BSE. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ Air India: passenger traffic by segment (Report). Statista. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ "Air India: freight traffic by segment 2021". Statista. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- 1 2 Air India Annual Report 19-20 (PDF) (Report). Air India. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ Air India Annual Report 20-21 (PDF) (Report). Air India. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ Air India Annual Report 21-22 (PDF) (Report). Air India. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ↑ "Tata airlines lose Rs 15,532 cr in FY 23". The Times of India. 10 August 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- 1 2 Upadhyay, Anindya (15 February 2013). "Air India vacates Nariman Point; moves headquarters to Delhi". The Economic Times. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
- ↑ "Air India, Board of directors". Air India. Archived from the original on 30 October 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ↑ "Bombay hit by devastating bombs". BBC. 12 March 1993. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
- ↑ "Merged Air India Express finds new HQ in Gurugram". Deccan Herald. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ Ramavarman, T. (14 December 2012). "Shifting of Air India Express headquarters to Kochi gets nod". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ↑ "Air India Express route scheduling". The Hindu. 7 January 2013. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- ↑ "Air India signs agreements to acquire AirAsia India; commences process to merge with Air India Express into a single Low-Cost Carrier". Indian Express. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ Singh, Sanjay (7 January 2012). "Air India shuts down bleeding cargo business". Business Today. New Delhi. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Air India Regional". Air India. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- ↑ "Alliance Air no longer subsidiary of Air India; moves to own website, flight code". Hindustan Times. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "The Wonderful Journey of Air India's Maharajah". The Times of India. 6 September 2014. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- 1 2 "Air India Brand". Air India. Archived from the original on 4 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ↑ Sinha, Saurabh (18 January 2015). "Maharajah, gets a makeover". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ↑ "PM Modi reportedly wants Air India's mascot, The Maharajah, replaced by a plebeian one". The Times of India. 24 June 2014. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ↑ Rao, Sunil (15 May 2005). "When did the Maharaja become Air-India's mascot". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ↑ "Maharajah gets a makeover". The Times of India. 18 January 2015. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Maharaja takes a back seat in Tata's Air India". The Times of India. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "Air India:History". airwhiners.net. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ↑ "Airlines logos with colors". spellbrand.com. 13 July 2010. Archived from the original on 24 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ↑ "Air India to get a new logo". FlightGlobal. 23 May 2007. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ↑ Majumder, Arindam (2 December 2022). "Air India to get a brand makeover, London based consultancy firm roped in". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ↑ "Air India to get brand makeover". The Financial Express. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ↑ "Air India Overhauls Its Identity: Here's What's Changed". Indian Express. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "Air India unveils Manish Malhotra designed new collection of uniforms for cabin & cockpit crew". The Economic Times. 13 December 2023. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ↑ "AirIndia A350 pics: Get into the inside of India's first wide-body plane". Hindustan Times. 24 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ↑ "Air India's game-changer: The Airbus A350's revolution in Indian aviation". The Hindu. 25 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- 1 2 3 Thomas, Maria (13 July 2018). "The fascinating story behind Air India's priceless collection of art". Quartz India. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- ↑ "In pics: When Air India presented Surrealist Salvador Dali an elephant". Hindustan Times. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- ↑ Gupta, Gargi. "First ever exhibition of the Air India art collection". DNA India. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Air India to hand over its priceless art collection to NGMA for public display". The Economic Times. 18 January 2023. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "'Maharaja's Treasure' famed Air India collection inaugurated at NGMA Mumbai". Government of India. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ↑ Bose, Mrityunjay. "Air India art exhibition 'Maharaja's Treasure' on display in Mumbai". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ↑ "Route Map". Air India. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- ↑ Kumar, Akshay (1 October 2015). "Air India to develop Mumbai as its secondary hub". The Financial Express. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ↑ "Air India AI 176 Flight Details, Notes, History". FlightStats. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ↑ "Global Booking Partners". airindia.com. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
- ↑ "Air India enters into interline partnership with Alaska Airlines for 32 destinations in US, Mexico, Canada". Business Today. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ↑ "Air India enters into interline partnership with Bangkok Airways". The Times of India. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
- ↑ "Fleet Details". Air India. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ↑ "VT-ESM Air India Boeing 747–437". PlaneSpotters. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ↑ "VT-ALA Air India Boeing 777–237(LR)". PlaneSpotters. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ↑ "VT-ALJ Air India Boeing 777–337(ER)". PlaneSpotters. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ↑ "Air India's Dreamliner to be in service from Sep 19". IBN live. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
- ↑ "Air India One, Seat No 59G". The Indian Express. 26 September 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ↑ "Manmohan Singh to travel in Air India One Agra". Topnews.in. 26 September 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
- ↑ "April 1 date for President with business jets". Zee News. 16 March 2009. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2011.
- ↑ Raj, Ashoke (14 August 2020). "Contingents of Air India, IAF, govt officials and security personnel leave for US to collect VVIP aircraft 'Air India One'". ANI News. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
- ↑ PTI (7 December 2013). "Air India firms up deal to sell five Boeing 777 to Etihad". The Hindu. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ↑ Choudury, Santanu (21 April 2014). "Air India to Sell Rest of 777-200 Fleet". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ↑ "Air India seeks to lease 14 Airbus A320 aircraft". Reuters. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ↑ "All 27 Dreamliners to be delivered by 2016". Business Standard. 1 July 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
- ↑ "Seat Map, Air India Boeing 777-300 ER". seatguru.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ↑ "Seat Map, Air India Boeing 747-400". seatguru.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ↑ "Seat Map, Air India Boeing 787". seatguru.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ↑ "Seat Map, Air India Airbus A321". seatguru.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ↑ "Seat Map, Air India Airbus A320 V1". seatguru.com. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ↑ "Seat Map, Air India Airbus A320 V2". seatguru.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ↑ "Seat Map, Air India Airbus A319". seatguru.com. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
- ↑ Jha, Somesh (26 December 2015). "Air India says non-veg food was never served on short duration flights". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Air India in-flight entertainment guide" (PDF). Air India. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Showtime" (PDF). Air India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ↑ "Air India to now have a new in-flight bi-lingual magazine". The Economic Times. 8 February 2013. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
- ↑ "About Flying Returns". Air India. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- 1 2 "Air India, History of Air India, Air India Flight Services, Air India International, Passenger Operations, Awards in Air India". Thisismyindia.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ↑ Venkataramakrishnan, Rohan (2 July 2014). "The Berlin airlift was remarkable, but the largest civilian evacuation in history is by India". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ↑ "Did You Know That The Largest Air Evacuation in History Was Done By India?". The Better India. 18 February 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Airlift: Akshay Kumar's next a thriller of the biggest human evacuation". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ↑ "Mathunny Mathews, the Real-life Hero of 'Airlift', Dies in Kuwait". News 18. 21 May 2017.
- 1 2 "Times when India evacuated its citizens during crisis". India Today. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "Air India flight with 78 people evacuated from Afghanistan lands in Delhi". Hindustan Times. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "Air India: India begins evacuating citizens from Ukraine". BBC. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "India evacuates 212 citizens from Israel in first Operation Ajay flight". The Hindu. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "Air India bags Awaz consumer awards 2006". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 21 July 2006. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Air India on the upswing". Air India. Archived from the original on 22 February 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ↑ "Air India Cargo wins 'Cargo Airline' Award". Air India. 29 April 2009. Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ↑ "Air India bags UN Environment Award". Money Control. 14 September 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- ↑ Chandramouli (2015). The Brand Trust Report India Study 2015. TRA. p. 182. ISBN 978-81-920823-8-7.
- ↑ "Air India gets ISO 9002 certification". Rediff. 13 May 1999. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Introduction to Air India". Air India. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-48C-DO (DC-3) VT-AUG". Aviation-safety.net. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
- ↑ "Malabar Princess". Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
- ↑ "The 'Malabar Princess' Catastrophe". Archived from the original on 20 June 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
- ↑ Accident description for VT-CFK at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 13 September 2015.
- ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-47A-30-DK Dakota III VT-CCA Bangalore-Hindustan Airport (BLR)". Aviation-safety.net. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
- ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident VT-AUD". Aviation-safety.net. Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
- ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-749A Constellation VT-DEP Great Natuna Islands". aviation-safety.net. Archived from the original on 25 August 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ↑ "Déjà vu from 30,000 ft". The Times of India. 4 January 2015. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Air India Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation incident 1959". Aviation Safety net. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ↑ "Diplomatic post bag from 1966 Indian plane crash found on Mont Blanc". The Daily Telegraph. 22 August 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ↑ "Accident Database: Accident Synopsis 06221982". Airdisaster.com. Archived from the original on 11 August 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ↑ "Fatal Events Since 1970 for Air India". Airsafe.com. Archived from the original on 23 February 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
- ↑ "Indepth: Air India". CBC News. Archived from the original on 6 May 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2007.
- ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-237B VT-EBO Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL)". Aviation-safety.net. Archived from the original on 22 August 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2010.