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Air India
एअर इंडिया
File:Air India Logo.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
AI AIC AIRINDIA
FoundedJuly 1932 (as Tata Airlines)
Commenced operations15 October 1932
Hubs
Secondary hubs
Focus cities
Frequent-flyer programFlying Returns
AllianceStar Alliance (March 2011)
Subsidiaries
Fleet size35 (+ 32 orders) (excl.subsidiaries)
Destinations29 (excl.subsidiaries)
Parent companyNACIL
HeadquartersAir India Building
Nariman Point, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Key peopleJ. R. D. Tata, Founder
Arvind Jadhav, CMD
Websitewww.airindia.com

Air India (Hindi: एअर इंडिया) (officially known as Air India Air Transport Services Limited)[1] is the flag carrier of the Republic of India. It operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft serving Asia, Europe and North America. It is India's oldest and largest airline. Its corporate office is located at the Air India Building at Nariman Point in South Mumbai. It is the 16th largest airline in Asia.

Air India has two major domestic hubs at Mumbai and Delhi respectively and one international hub at Frankfurt, Germany. London, England acts as a focus city for the airline.

Star Alliance announced on 13 December 2007 that it had invited Air India to join as a member.[2][3] Air India is set to become a full Star Alliance member by March 2011[4].

Air India is a part of the Indian Government owned National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL).

History

Tata Air Services
File:Air India Old Logo.svg
1940s-2007 Air India logo
Air India Boeing 707-320B in 1976
Boeing 747-200B at Montréal-Mirabel International Airport in 1983
The Maharaja is Air India's official Mascot

Early years

Air India was founded by J. R. D. Tata in July 1932 as Tata Airlines, a division of Tata Sons Ltd. (now Tata Group). On 15 October 1932, J. R. D. Tata flew a single-engined De Havilland Puss Moth carrying air mail (postal mail of Imperial Airways) from Karachi's Drigh Road Aerodrome to Bombay's Juhu Airstrip via Ahmedabad. The aircraft continued to Madras via Bellary piloted by former Royal Air Force pilot Nevill Vintcent.

Post-war expansion

Following the end of 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. In 1948, after the Independence of India, 49% of the airline was acquired by the Government of India, with an option to purchase an additional 2%. In return, the airline was granted status to operate international services from India as the designated flag carrier under the name Air India International. On 8 June 1948, a Lockheed Constellation L-749A named Malabar Princess (registered VT-CQP) took off from Bombay bound for London via Cairo and Geneva. This marked the airline's first long-haul international flight, soon followed by service in 1950 to Nairobi via Aden.

On 1 August 1953, the Government of India exercised its option to purchase a majority stake in the carrier and Air India International Limited was born as one of the fruits of the Air Corporations Act that nationalised the air transportation industry. At the same time all domestic services were transferred to Indian Airlines. In 1954, the airline took delivery of its first L-1049 Super Constellations and inaugurated services to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore.

The Jet Age

Air India International entered the jet age in 1960 when its first Boeing 707-420, named Gauri Shankar (registered VT-DJJ), was delivered. Jet services to New York City via London were inaugurated that same year on 14 May 1960. On 8 June 1962, the airline's name was officially truncated to Air India. 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). This coincided with the introduction of the 'Palace In The Sky' livery and branding. A feature of this livery is the paintwork around each aircraft window, in the cusped arch style of windows in Indian palaces. In 1986 Air India took delivery of the Airbus A310-300; the airline is the largest operator of this type in passenger service. In 1988, Air India took delivery of two Boeing 747-300Ms in mixed passenger-cargo configuration.

Early 1990s

In 1993, Air India took delivery of the flagship of its fleet when the first Boeing 747-400 named Konark (registered VT-ESM) made history by operating the first non-stop flight between New York City and Delhi. In 1994 the airline was registered as Air India Ltd. In 1996, the airline inaugurated service to its second US gateway at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. In 1999, the airline opened its dedicated Terminal 2-C at the renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.

2000s to Present

In 2000, Air India introduced services to Shanghai and to its third US gateway at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark. On May 2004, Air India launched a wholly-owned low cost airline called Air-India Express. Air India Express connecting cities in India with the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Subcontinent. In 2004 Air India launched flights to its fourth US gateway at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles (which has since been terminated) and expanded its international routes to include flights from Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

On 1 December 2009, Air India introduced services to its fifth US gateway at Washington Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., accessed via a stopover at JFK Airport in New York City.

Re-privatisation plans

In 2001, Air India was put up for sale by the then NDA government[5]. One of the bids was by a consortium of Tata Group-Singapore Airlines. However the re-privatisation plans were shelved after Singapore Airlines pulled out and the global economy slumped[6].

Merger with Indian Airlines

In 2007, the Government of India announced that Air India would be merged with Indian Airlines. As part of the merger process, a new company called the National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL) was established, into which both Air India (along with Air India Express) and Indian Airlines (along with Alliance Air) will be merged.

Frankfurt Hub

On 1 March 2009, Air India made Frankfurt Airport at Frankfurt am Main as its international hub for onward connections to United States from India. However as of 2010, the airline is searching for another European hub possibly in Denmark, Ireland, Italy or Russia because of High operating costs at Frankfurt Airport[7][8].

Financial crisis

Around 2006-2007, the airlines began showing signs of financial distress. The combined losses for Air India and Indian Airlines in 2006-07 were Rs 770 crores. After the merger of the airlines, this went up to Rs 7,200 crores by March 2009.[9] This was followed by restructuring plans which are still in progress.[10]. In July 2009, SBI Capital Markets Ltd was appointed to prepare a road map for the recovery of the airline.[11] The carrier sold three Airbus A300 and one Boeing 747-300M in March 2009 for $ 18.75 million to survive the financial crunch[12].

Headquarters

The Air India Building at Nariman Point in Mumbai

Air India's corporate headquarters is located at the Air India Building at Nariman Point in South Mumbai. The airline moved there in 1970. The Air India Building also serves as a regional office for Indian Airlines.

Corporate Affairs and Identity

See also: National Aviation Company of India Limited

Organization

Air India has two subsidiaries and two affiliated carries. Together Air India, Air India Cargo, Air-India Express, Indian Airlines and Air India Regional form the National Aviation Company of India Limited.

Subsidiaries

Air India Cargo
Air India Cargo Airbus A310-300F.
Main article: Air India Cargo

In 1954, Air India Cargo started its freighter operations with a Douglas DC-3 Dakota aircraft, giving Air India the distinction of being the first Asian airline to operate freighters. The airline operates cargo flights to many destinations. The airline also has ground truck-transportation arrangements on select destinations.

A member of IATA, Air India carries all types of cargo including dangerous goods (hazardous materials) and live animals, provided such shipments are tendered according to IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations and IATA Live Animals Regulations.

At the warehouse in Mumbai, Air India has developed a system of inventory management for cargo handling of import/export functions. This takes care of the entire management of cargo, supports Electronic Data Interface (EDI) messages with Indian Customs and replaces to a great extent existing paper correspondence between Customs, Airlines, and the custodians. This also replaces manual handling and binning of cargo at the warehouse in Mumbai by Air India.

Air-India Express
Air India Express Boeing 737-800
Main article: Air-India Express

Air-India Express is the airline's low-cost subsidiary which was established in 2005 during the aviation boom in India. It operates scheduled passenger services primarily to the Gulf and South East Asia. Air-India Express is currently the only airline in NACIL which posts profits. It operates a fleet of Next Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Affiliated Carriers

Indian Airlines
Main article: Indian Airlines

Indian Airlines which is based in Delhi and focuses primarily on domestic routes, along with several international services to neighbouring countries in Asia

Air India Regional
Main article: Air India Regional

Air India Regional (formerly known as Alliance Air) serves mainly on Regional routes. Its main hub is Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Livery

1970-2007 Livery

Boeing 747-400 in 1970-2007 Palace In The Sky livery

Air India's livery was mostly painted in red and white colours. The bottoms of the aircraft remain metal and unpainted but the upper portion is given a white background along with the airline's name written in red. The name is in Hindi on one side and in English on the other. The painted on red palace style carvings on the outside of the windows refer to their slogan "your palace in the sky" which is written on the back of the aircraft. Near the noses of Air India aircraft, the air plane is given a name. Most planes are named after powerful Indian kings or landmarks. Finally, the tail is mostly red with again, the carrier's name written in Hindi on one side and English on the other.

In 1989, to supplement its "Flying Palace" livery, Air India introduced a new "sun" livery that was mostly white with a golden sun on a red tail. Only applied to around a half of Air India's fleet, the new livery did not succeed, as the Indian flying public complained about the phasing out of the classic colours. The livery was dropped after two years and the old scheme was returned.

Pre-merger Livery

On 15 May 2007, Air India refreshed its livery, making the Rajasthani arches along the windows slightly smaller, extending a stylized cheatline from the vertical tail of the aircraft to the nose, and painting a small portion of the underbelly red. Additionally, engine nacelles are now deep red, and a gold-colored version of the airline's stylized centaur trademark now adorns both the vertical tail and engine nacelles.

Post-merger Livery

The present Air India Livery on the Boeing 777-300ER

On May 22, 2007, Air India and Indian Airlines unveiled their new livery. The logo of the new airline is a Flying Swan with the Konark Chakra placed inside it. The Flying Swan has been morphed from Air India’s characteristic logo, ‘The Centaur’ whereas the ‘Konark Chakra’ is reminiscent of Indian’s logo.

The new logo features prominently on the tail of the aircraft. Individually the Konark Chakra also features on all the engines of the aircraft. The choice of colours namely red for “Flying Swan” and orange for “Konark Chakra” are meant to signify vigour and advancement. Further the colours also have a strong association with two carriers thereby retaining the earlier imagery of traditional hospitality and service.

While the aircraft is ivory in colour, the base retains the red streak of Air India. Running parallel to each other is the Orange and Red speed lines from front door to the rear door, subtly signifying the individual identities merged into one. The brand name ‘Air India’ runs across the tail of the aircraft.

Destinations

Main article: Air India destinations
See also: NACIL destinations, Air India Express § Destinations, and Air India Cargo § Destinations

Air India serves 11 domestic destinations and 18 international destinations in 10 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

Short-haul routes

Air India's short-haul routes mainly include domestic cities and cities in South East Asia and South West Asia. For short-haul routes its Airbus A310, Airbus A330, Boeing 747-400 and Boeing 777-200/-200ER are used apart from Airbus A320 family aircraft of Indian Airlines which are operated with Air India callsign and code.

Long-haul routes

File:Times Square NYC 2007.jpg
An advertisement in Times Square for travel on the Boeing 777-200LR from New York City to Mumbai

The airline has long-haul destinations in East Asia, Europe and North America which are served using Boeing 777-200LR/-300ER aircraft. Its non-stop Mumbai-New York City route operated on a Boeing 777-200LR is the longest route originating out of India.

Frankfurt Airport in Germany acts as a scissors hub to provide onward Trans-Atlantic connections to the United States.

Since the early 1960s, London always has been a major focus city for Air India right from the time when it launched its first Trans-Atlantic services.

Codeshare Agreements

Air India has codesharing agreements with the following airlines[13][14]:

With Air India's own entry into the Star Alliance (SA) expected in 2010,[15] all other codeshare agreements with non-Star Alliance partners may be terminated.[16]

Services

Flying Returns

File:Tob band3.png

Flying Returns is Air India's frequent flyer programme. The programme is also shared by Indian Airlines and all other NACIL carriers.

Maharaja Lounge

Air India's Maharaja Lounge at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport

Maharaja Lounge means "Emperor's Lounge", and is offered to First and Business class passengers. Air India shares lounges with other international airlines at international airports that do not have a Maharaja Lounge available. There are five[17] Maharaja Lounges, one at each of the five major destinations of Air India, which are as following:

India
International

Fleet

Airbus A330-200
Boeing 747-400
Boeing 777-200LR
Boeing 777-300ER

Current Fleet

See also: Air India Fleet

Each subsidiary maintains a separate fleet of aircraft. Air India operates an all wide-body fleet composed of Airbus A310, Airbus A330, Boeing 747, and Boeing 777 aircraft.[18]

Air India Fleet[19]
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers
(First/Business/Economy)
Airbus A310-300 4
2 		– 201 (0/20/181)
256 (0/??/???)
Airbus A330-200 2 – 279 (0/24/255)
Boeing 747-400 6 – 423 (12/26/385)
Boeing 777-200 1 – 258 (12/49/197)
Boeing 777-200ER 2 – 292 (8/21/263)
Boeing 777-200LR 8 – 238 (8/35/195)
Boeing 777-300ER 10 5 342 (4/35/303)
Boeing 787-8 – 27 ??? (0/??/???)
Total 35 32

Fleet info

The Boeing customer code for Air India is 7x7-x37 and 7x7-xHG for Air-India Express. As of May 2010, the average age of the Air India fleet is 9.5 years.

New aircraft orders

  • On 11 January 2006, Air India announced an order for Sixty Eight jets - eighteen Boeing 737-800, eight Boeing 777-200LR Worldliners, fifteen Boeing 777-300ER and twenty seven Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners
  • Air India received its first ordered Boeing 737-800 aircraft for Air-India Express on 30 November 2006.
  • The airlines received its first Boeing 777-200LR aircraft on 26 July 2007 and Boeing 777-300ER on 10 October 2007.
  • In April 2010, the airline planned to cancel three Boeing 777-300ERs. Boeing has reportedly offered ten Boeing 737 Next Generation as a substitute for three 777-300ERs.
  • Air India will get its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner in 2011.

Retired Fleet

Aircraft Type and Cabin

Airbus A310-300

Two Airbus A310-300 aircraft were previously owned by Singapore Airlines and as such feature the older two-class Singapore Airlines configuration. Business and Economy class seats are standard. These aircraft will be replaced by the Boeing 787-8.

As of 2010, the average age of Air India's self owned A310-300s is 24.25 years and that of dry leased A310-300s is 17.5 years.

Airbus A330-200

Both A330-200s are ex-Novair aircraft and feature Novair's interiors.

As of 2010, the average age of Air India's dry leased Airbus A330-200s is 10 years.

Boeing 747-400
File:Air India .jpg
First Class seats onboard the Boeing 777-200LR
Business Class seats onboard the Boeing 777-300ER

Boeing 747-400s are configured in a three class configuration with a new interior. First class features a flat bed seat, with up to 180 degree recline. Business class also has premium seats, with added recline and cushioning. Economy class features 32-34 inch seat pitch.

All Boeing 747-400 aircraft have undergone refurbishment, adding enhancements such as widescreen PTVs with Audio-Video On Demand (AVOD) in all classes and improved seats in First and Business class. The cabin is upgraded with all new economy seats, cushions and upholstery. New overhead bins and aircraft side panels, a new coat of paint for the side trims, new cockpit trims and new toilets are part of the refurbished aircraft.[20]

The IFE system has 10.4" widescreen displays for First Class and Business Class seats and 8.4" widescreen PTVs in Economy Class seats.

The Boeing 747-400 began service in late 1993 and was brought in to replace the aging fleet of Boeing 747-200Bs. They have been named after places of cultural interest in India.

All Boeing 747-400 aircraft are due to be retired by 2010, and will be replaced by Boeing 777-200LR and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Of the six remaining aircraft, three will be retained for VIP flights for the Government of India while the other three aircraft will be sold.[21]

As of 2010, the average age of Air India's Boeing 747-400s is 15.83 years.

Boeing 777

Air India operates variants of the Boeing 777 — the Boeing 777-200, Boeing 777-200ER, Boeing 777-200LR and Boeing 777-300ER. The Boeing 777-200 and Boeing 777-200ER in the fleet used to be part of United Airlines, and thus feature United Airlines interiors. All seats in all classes feature a PTV with AVOD, and Business Class and First Class.

Air India's fleet of Boeing 777-200LR and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft have new interiors. First Class features flat beds with 23 inch widescreen PTVs with AVOD. The seats include an in-seat massage function, USB ports and laptop power port. Business class is the "shell" type and also converts into a flat seat. Business Class seats feature 15 inch widescreen PTVs with laptop power and USB ports. These 777 aircraft feature Air India's new Economy Class seats which have 33 to 35 inch seat pitch and 10.6 inch widescreen PTVs with AVOD.

As of 2010, the average age of Air India's self owned Boeing 777-200LRs/300ERs is 2 years and that of dry leased 777-200/200ERs is 13 years.

In-Flight Entertainment

Air India's Boeing 777-200LR/-300ER as well as some refirbished Boeing 747-400 aircraft use the Thales TopSeries IFE systems[22] for onboard in-flight entertainment. Airbus A310s do not have personal LCD screens. Airbus A330s have widescreen displays in Business and Economy classes but no personal IFEs. The leased Boeing 777s have IFE systems similar to that of United Airlines Boeing 777s.

Awards and recognitions

  • Preferred International Airline award for travel and hospitality from Awaz Consumer Awards 2006 [23]
  • Best International West Bound Airline out of India for three successive years by Galileo Express TravelWorld Award
  • Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative. by Galileo Express TravelWorld Award [24]
  • Best Short-Haul International Airline by Galileo Express TravelWorld Award 2008[24]
  • The Mercury Award for the years 1994 and 2003, from the International Flight Catering Association, for finest in-flight catering services.
  • Amity Corporate Excellence Award instituted by the Amity International Business School, Noida, Uttar Pradesh to honour Corporates with distinct vision, innovation, competitiveness and sustenance.[24]
  • Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Award[24]
  • Dun and Bradstreet Award(D&B)- first in terms of revenue out of the top airline companies out of India[24]
  • Best South Asian Airline award by readers of TTG Asia, TTG China, TTG Mice and TTG-BT Mice China, all renowned Mice and business travel publications.[24]
  • Cargo Airline of the Year at the 26th Cargo Airline of the Year Awards[25]
  • The airline entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the most people evacuated by a civil airliner. Over 111,000 people were evacuated from Amman to Mumbai  – a distance of 4,117 km, by operating 488 flights in association with Indian Airlines, from 13 August to 11 October 1990  – lasting 59 days. The operation was carried out during Persian Gulf War in 1990 to evacuate Indian expatriates from Kuwait and Iraq.[26]
  • The Montreal Protocol Public Awareness Award was awarded to Air India by the United Nations for environmental protection, especially in the ozone layer.[27]
  • World's first all-jet airline- June 1962
  • World's largest operator of Airbus A310-300
  • Air India's security department became the first aviation security organisation in the world to acquire ISO 9002 certification (31 January 2001).
  • Air India's Department of Engineering has obtained the ISO 9002 for its Engineering facilities for meeting international standards.

Accidents and incidents

Seven Air India flights have fatally crashed, including those due to terrorist attacks. Air India has a record of 6.82 fatal events per million flights.[28]

1950s
  • On 19 July 1959 Rani of Aera a Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation (registered VT-DIN) carrying 46 people (39 passengers and 7 crew) approached Santacruz Airport in conditions of poor visibility due to rain. The captain was using an altimeter with the barometric pressure set at 29.92". An overshoot was delayed and the aircraft crashed and suffered damage beyond repair. There were no fatalities.
The Air India Memorial in Toronto, Canada dedicated to the victims of Air India Flight 182
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
  • On 22 May 2010 at approximately 6.30am local time an Air India Express flight IX812 from Dubai overshot the runway at Mangalore International Airport in southern India, 158 of the 166 people on board are feared dead.[36].

See also

References

  1. ^ http://home.airindia.in/SBCMS/downloads/AI_Air_Transport_Services_ltd_0708.pdf
  2. ^ http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/16/storie•s/2007121656481300.htm Air India joins Star Alliance – The Hindu
  3. ^ http://www.dailyindia.com/show/199544.php/Air-India-to-join-Star-Alliance Air India to join Star Alliance
  4. ^ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/Air-India-to-join-Star-Alliance-by-March-2011/articleshow/5934302.cms
  5. ^ "Air India privatisation finds three suitors". BBC News. 23 February 2001. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  6. ^ "India privatisation plans near 'collapse'". BBC News. 3 September 2001. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  7. ^ http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/01/07/stories/2010010752081800.htm
  8. ^ http://www.livemint.com/2010/02/10000542/Air-India-to-consider-Dublin-f.html
  9. ^ What sent Air India crashing?
  10. ^ Air India restructuring plans being readied
  11. ^ SBI Caps prepares roadmap for Air India restructuring
  12. ^ AI sells 4 aircraft in Mar to tackle financial crunch
  13. ^ [1]
  14. ^ AirIndia - Code-Share Partners
  15. ^ http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=aviationdaily&id=news/IND03189.xml
  16. ^ Air India to end ties with KLM, BA, Cathay
  17. ^ [2]
  18. ^ "Air India Fleet Details". Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  19. ^ NACIL Fleet (As on 1st February 2010)
  20. ^ [3]
  21. ^ P.R. Sanjai. "Air India plans to phase out six remaining jumbo jets". Livement.
  22. ^ [4]
  23. ^ The Hindu : Business / Briefly : Air India bags Awaz consumer awards 2006
  24. ^ a b c d e f http://home.airindia.in/SBCMS/Webpages/Backgrounder-Note.aspx?MID=196
  25. ^ http://home.airindia.in/SBCMS/Webpages/cargo-wins.aspx
  26. ^ http://www.thisismyindia.com/air-line/airindia.html
  27. ^ UN Environment Award for Air India – India Airline News, Airport developments, Aviation, A380, B787, Kingfisher, Deccan, Jet Airways, Air India, Indian Airlines, Spicejet
  28. ^ "Accident Rates By Airline". AirDisaster.com.
  29. ^ "MALABAR PRINCESS". Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  30. ^ "The "Malabar Princess" Catastrophe". Retrieved 2009-06-17.
  31. ^ [5]
  32. ^ Accident Database: Accident Synopsis 06221982
  33. ^ Fatal Events Since 1970 for Air India
  34. ^ "Indepth: Air India". CBC News. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
  35. ^ [6]
  36. ^ "India plane crash in Mangalore leaves nearly 160 dead". BBC News. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
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