Air India Disinvestment: Tata to Inherit India's Largest Air Fleet - From Jumbo to ATR

Tata Group has finally won the bid for Air India, which means the nationalized air carrier’s journey has come to a full circle. Air India was started by JRD Tata in 1932 as Tata Air Services which later became Tata Airlines. It was a part of support missions for the British Royal Air Force during World War II in Burma. After the war ended, the airline changed its name to the now-iconic Air India in 1946 and in 1948, Air India International was launched with flights to Europe.

Rata Tata welcomes back Air India

Then Union government in October 1947 bought 49 per cent stake in Air India. With Air Corporations Act in 1953, the government took over the company from Tata Sons and nationalised it. Air India has the most vivid fleet in the India’s aviation industry, which many say is now outdated and desperately crying for an update.

Air India currently has a fleet mix of 127 aircrafts making it the largest airline in India in number of planes. The fleet includes plane of Air India, Air India Express and Alliance Air. Approximately 65 per cent is narrow-body aircraft with the balance being wide-body aircraft. The fleet is a mix of leased aircrafts which account for almost 50 percent of brand’s planes. The rest are fully owned.

Here’s a look at the fleet to understand the standing of Air India and what Tata will inherit from the winning bid-

Bidding on Air India was just the beginning! Tata will now have to revive the airline post acquisition as Air India faces the dual challenge of intense competition in the domestic market, which also includes possibly two new airlines; and even more intense competition with foreign carriers on international routes.

Here’s how Tata can change fortunes for Air India

Tata’s other airline, Vistara, is using all new gen aircrafts giving a flying experience to travellers like no other airline in the country. It would be interesting to see how Tata will decide on the fate of the existing planes of Air India.

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