Air India will be made world-class, Chandrasekaran tells employees
PremiumTata group has rolled out a 100-day plan for Air India to improve the airline’s operational and service standards
NEW DELHI : The Tata group plans to expand Air India’s network, modernize its fleet, spruce up its customer service and make it the world’s most technologically advanced airline, group chairman N. Chandrasekaran said.
In his first address to Air India staff on Wednesday, Chandrasekaran said Tata group, which acquired the state-run Air India last month, has very big dreams for the airline. “We are totally committed to making Air India the world-class airline it deserves to be," Chandrasekaran said in his virtual address. “We will do that by focusing on specific areas where we want to be absolutely best in class," he added.
Chandrasekaran said the areas of focus would be customer service, technological advancements (website, application, front- and back-office systems, etc.), upgrading fleet to expand network both on the domestic and international front and to ensure the world’s best hospitality service.
“If all of us can bring in the passion and work in a coordinated fashion with a single-minded purpose, where we contribute the best of what we have every day, this is achievable, and in a shorter time frame," he said.
“This will require huge transformation, probably the largest transformation, change, all of you would ever go through," he added.
At present, Air India has about 141 aircraft. However, many of them are old and unfit to profitably serve many of its routes. Air India’s overall customer service, under government ownership, often trailed that of other private airlines, and its on-time performance was abysmal compared to IndiGo and others.
“Tata group is known for trust, quality, reliability and consistency. In the context of Air India, we must start with ensuring we are on time, every time," Chandrasekaran said.
“If we can complement that with a terrific experience—in terms of seamless booking, airport experience, boarding experience, lounge experience—we will automatically end up providing the customer service they want to experience," he added.
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Tata group this week appointed Ilker Ayci, the former chairman of Turkish Airlines, as Air India’s new chief executive officer and managing director, marking a key step in efforts to overhaul the loss-making airline. Air India is now one of four airline brands under the Tata group umbrella. The Mumbai-based conglomerate holds majority stakes in AirAsia India and Vistara, a joint venture with Singapore Airlines Ltd, apart from Air India Express.
Tata group has rolled out a 100-day plan for Air India to improve the airline’s operational and service standards.
The conglomerate hopes to improve Air India’s basic service standards, on-time performance, issues related to passenger complaints and customer call centres in the coming months.
“We want to ensure every Indian is able to fly directly to as many destinations as possible," Chandrasekaran said.
“We will look at it from an international long-haul point of view, short-haul international point of view, and also domestically... We will expand our network. That will provide ample opportunities for growth," he said, adding that the airline will achieve its targets with strong financial discipline.
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