In an almost circle of life event, Air India was handed over to the Tata Group nearly 69 years after it was taken from the conglomerate when the government nationalised the airline in 1953 
In an almost circle of life event, Air India was handed over to the Tata Group nearly 69 years after it was taken from the conglomerate when the government nationalised the airline in 1953 
After the Maharaja came back to its original owners – The Tata Group on January 27 this year, Air India passengers will be welcomed with a 19-second voice message from the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons and Padma Vibhushan awardee, Ratan Tata. Air India shared the audio clip of the message on its official Twitter handle with the caption, “#FlyAI: A warm welcome extended by Mr Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons, Chairman Tata Trusts, to our passengers onboard Air India flights.”
The industrialist and philanthropist says, “The Tata Group welcomes Air India’s new customers and is excited to work together to make Air India the airline of choice in terms of passenger comfort and service.”
In an almost circle of life event, Air India was handed over to the Tata Group nearly 69 years after it was taken from the conglomerate when the government nationalised the airline in 1953. The government officially handed over the management control of Air India to Talace Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of the Tata Group’s holding company. The Tata Group has been handed over Air India Express and 50 percent stake in the ground handling arm of Air India- Air India SATS.
Days after the Air India handover, former Air India executive director Jitender Bhargava, who also penned the book Descent of Air India, told Business Today TV that Air India will no longer be a cash-strapped airline with the Tata handover. Of the 141 Air India aircraft that Tatas will get, 42 are leased and 99 are owned. Tatas cannot, however, retain the non-core assets – Vasant Vihar housing colony of Air India, Air India Building at Mumbai’s Nariman Point and Air India Building in Delhi.
Bhargava said, “But now, with Tata-owned Air India, what will happen is that it will no longer be a cash-starved airline. Tatas will ensure that it grows. And I expect 20-25 per cent growth under the Tatas because you have a large Indian market in Europe and the US which India wanted. ”
The former AI boss also underscored that with the Tata Group takeover; there will be improvements in qualitative and quantitative aspects of India’s national carrier which will eventually lead to a change of general perception vis-à-vis the airline.
He further elaborated, “And let’s not forget it that under the Tatas there will be a qualitative, quantitative improvement in the product quality. And once that is there, the current perception that exists will change and a lot of people will patronise it. What is the ultimate gain? It is that Air India, an Indian carrier, will grow rather than Gulf carriers and Southeast Asian careers which have been dominating the Indian skies.”
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