The Air India building is one of Mumbai’s iconic high rises. The 2,20,000 sq. ft building turned 50 on June 1, 2020. Air India shifted its head office to the building at Nariman Point, at the southern tip of Mumbai, on June 1, 1970.
The Air India building was designed by John Burgee, of the Manhattan-based firm Burgee and Johnson. It was one of the first buildings in India with all its floors centrally air-conditioned.
In 1970, it was also perhaps the only building with six lifts, all fitted with piped music. It has a special direct elevator to the board room on its 23rd floor. It is said that the Air India building has 1,502 windows.
The building also boasted of two levels of underground parking, something that was uncommon back then.
The current Air India logo placed atop the building was preceded by a large illuminated metal logo of the Centaur. The Centaur was chosen as the logo for the airline by legendary entrepreneur and Air India’s founder J.R.D. Tata.
The Air India building withstood the 1993 bombings in Mumbai when 13 bombs exploded in quick succession across the city.
Security forces used its premises to evacuate hostages from the adjacent Trident hotel during the 26/11 terror attack.
In 2013 Air India shifted its headquarters to New Delhi, but the building still houses the airline's offices on the 22nd floor, besides a booking office on the ground floor.
The rest of the building has been rented out to private, government, and public sector company offices.