Maharaja will aim for the skies, says new owner Tata Group

The Tata Group, which took over the distressed national carrier Air India (AI) last month, has begun to crack the whip, with changes in goals and processes. Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran, in his virtual address to AI employees, said he is committed to make it a world-class airline, adding that to gain customer trust, it must fully stick to flight schedules.

The Tatas have formed a 100-day plan to improve AI’s operational and service standards, said a Mint report. The idea is to modernise the technology and facilities, and enhance customer service.

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The group, earlier this week, appointed Ilkyer Ayci, former Turkish Airlines Chairman, as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Air India. The move to bring in a foreign national with a good track record won much praise from corporate circles.

Ayci will lead Air India to a new era, said Chandrasekaran. “Ilker is an aviation industry leader who led Turkish Airlines to its current success during his tenure there,” he observed. Chandrasekaran’s own tenure at the Tata Group was recently extended to another five years.

Tech overhaul, network expansion

The Maharaja is also set for a technological overhaul, said the Tata Group chief. The network is set for an expansion, and the aircraft will be modernised, he added. Also, the fleet size is likely to be expanded, both in the wide-body and narrow-body segments.

AI will expand its outreach “both domestically and internationally”, connecting India with every part of the globe, said Chandrasekaran.

For the airline to reach its goals under the new management, the employees will “require a huge transformation, probably the largest transformation and the change all of you would ever go through”, said the Chairman.

Last year, the Tatas had won a competitive bid to acquire AI for ₹18,000 crore. Nearly seven decades after the government took over Air India from the Tata Group, the airline returned to the conglomerate on January 27, 2022. “From the day of the announcement, one word has been on everyone’s lips: homecoming. We are proud to welcome Air India back to the Tata family, after all these years,” Chandrasekaran had said.

The Tatas also run full-service airline Vistara in a joint venture with Singapore Airlines, and are a partner in low-cost airline AirAsia India.