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Air India
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Air India Limited is the national flag carrier airline of India, flying a worldwide network of passenger and cargo services. Air India is state-owned, and administered as part of the National Aviation Company of India Limited - which was created in 2007 to facilitate Air India's merger with Indian Airlines. The main bases of operation of the airline are Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Air India is the 16th largest airline in Asia, serving 28 destinations worldwide, and, with its affiliated carriers, serves over 100 cities.
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Encyclopedia
Air India Limited is the national flag carrier airline of India, flying a worldwide network of passenger and cargo services. Air India is state-owned, and administered as part of the National Aviation Company of India Limited - which was created in 2007 to facilitate Air India's merger with Indian Airlines. The main bases of operation of the airline are Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Air India is the 16th largest airline in Asia, serving 28 destinations worldwide, and, with its affiliated carriers, serves over 100 cities. Air India has codeshare agreements with twelve other international airlines. It is also expected to join Star Alliance on the 29th of March 2009. After dominating Indian skies for years, Air India is now the second largest airline in India in terms of passengers carried, after Jet Airways, and closely followed by Kingfisher Airlines. In domestic market share, it is the third largest behind Jet Airways (including subsidiary Jet Lite) and Kingfisher Airlines (including subsidiary Kingfisher Red).
History
in 1976]]
Air India was founded by J. R. D. Tata in 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.
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 and 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.
Air India International entered the jet age in 1960 when its first Boeing 707, named Nandadevi and registered VT-DJJ, was delivered. Jet services to New York via London were inaugurated that same year in 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.
Expansion
In 1970, Air India moved its offices to downtown Mumbai/Bombay. The next year, the airline took delivery of its first Boeing 747-200B named Emperor Ashoka and registered VT-EBD. This coincided with the introduction of the 'Palace In The Sky' livery and branding. A distinctive 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 also took delivery of two Boeing 747-300Ms in mixed passenger-cargo configuration. In 1989, to supplement its "Flying Palace" livery, Air India introduced a new "sun" livery that was mostly white but had 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 new livery was dropped after two years and the old scheme was returned.
In 1993, Air India took delivery of the flagship of its fleet when the first Boeing 747-400 named Konark and registered VT-ESM made history by operating the first non-stop flight between New York 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 newly renamed Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.
In 2000, Air India introduced services to Shanghai, as well as to Los Angeles and 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. Air India expanded its international routes to include non-stop flights from Ahmedabad and also expanded its international operations from Bangalore and Hyderabad.
On 8 March 2004, International Women's Day, the airline operated an "All Women Flight" from Mumbai to Singapore. Captain Rashmi Miranda, who became Air-India's first female Commander in November 2003 and Captain Kshmata Bajpai piloted the flight, an Airbus A310-300 aircraft. The flight dispatch activities relating to this flight were also coordinated by a female Flight Dispatcher, Vasanti Kolnad. The Safety Audit on board was also conducted by another woman, Harpreet D Singh. The airline has seventeen female pilots, including five trainee pilots.
In 2007, the Government 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 (or NACIL) was established, into which both Air India (along with Air India Express) and Indian Airlines (along with Alliance Air) have been merged. Once the merger is complete, the airline - which will continue to be called Air India - will continue to be headquartered in Mumbai.
Star Alliance announced on 13 December 2007 that it had invited Air India to join as a member. Air India is set to become a full Star Alliance member in 2009.
On 1 March 2009 Air India announced that it would make Frankfurt its Global Aviation Hub for Flights to and from the United States to India. From 29 March 2009 onwards Air India's Flights to Chicago and Newark from Delhi and Mumbai respectively will be operated Via Frankfurt Airport . Air India is also adding Ahmedabad-Frankfurt shortly and later third non stop flight to US Delhi-San Francisco in fall 2009.
Subsidiaries
Air India's current subsidiaries are Air India Cargo, a separate division that provides air cargo services with a dedicated fleet, and Air India Express, a low-cost airline that operates flights mainly to the Middle East. With the merger of Indian Airlines and its subsidiary Air India Regional into Air India, these two airlines will also become subsidiaries of Air India.
Destinations
Air India serves 11 domestic destinations and 17 international destinations in 11 countries by itself and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across the Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania through codesharing with partner airlines. Together with its subsidiaries and related carriers, the group connects over 100 destinations worldwide.
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.
Air India Fleet | Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Options | Passengers
(First/Business/Economy) | Routes | Notes |
|---|
| Airbus A310-300 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 183 (0/??/???)
201 (0/20/181)
206 (0/18/188)
256 (0/??/???) | Domestic,East Asia,Middle East | 8 dry leased
1 wet leased from Czech Airlines
1 wet leased from White Airways
Will be replaced by Boeing 787-8 | | Airbus A330-200 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 279 (0/24/255) | East Asia | dry leased,
Will be replaced by Boeing 787-8 | | Boeing 747-400 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 423 (12/26/385) | Europe,North America | To be retired by 2016,
PTV with AVOD with new interior | | Boeing 777-200 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 258 (12/49/197) | Europe,Middle East,
North America | dry leased from United Airlines,
PTV with AVOD. | | Boeing 777-200ER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 292 (8/21/263) | Europe,Middle East,
North America | dry leased from United Airlines,
PTV with AVOD,
Will be replaced with new Boeing 777-300ERs. | | Boeing 777-200LR | 5 | 3 | 0 | 238 (8/35/195) | New York | Deliveries through 2009,
PTV with AVOD | | Boeing 777-300ER | 5 | 10 | 0 | 342 (4/35/303) | Europe,North America | Deliveries through 2011,
PTV with AVOD | | Boeing 787-8 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 225 (0/??/???) | | Replacing all Airbus A310-300s and Airbus A330-200s
Service Entry 2010 | | Total | 32 | 40 | 0 | | | |
The average age of Air India's fleet is 11.9 years as of January 2009 (excluding freighter aircraft).
Air India Express has a fleet of 21 Boeing 737-800 aircraft (with an additional four aircraft on order) including 7 dry leased Boeing 737-800s.
Indian Airlines has a fleet of 72 aircraft consisting of Airbus A319-100, Airbus A320-200 and Airbus A321-200 aircraft with 24 additional aircraft on order.
Air India Regional has a fleet of 10 aircraft consisting of ATR 42s and Bombardier CRJ700s.
Fleet orders and changes
The first Boeing 777-200LR aircraft was delivered by Boeing to Air India on 26 July 2007. The Boeing 777-200LR is used on non-stop routes from Delhi and Mumbai to New York. This aircraft and the Boeing 787-8 are expected to allow Air India to open up new routes to Australia, Canada, Europe, East Asia, Africa and the United States (Air India plans to start flights to additional cities in the United States and Canada, which include Boston/Washington, D.C., Dallas/Houston, San Francisco and Vancouver).
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft on order are to replace its aging fleet of Airbus A310-300 aircraft. As an interim measure, to overcome the Boeing 787 delays, Air India has leased 2 Airbus A330-200 aircraft, however these aircraft are registered to Indian Airlines and operate to destinations in East Asia.
There has been no announcement as to whether Air India will order very large aircraft such as the Airbus A380-800 or Boeing 747-8.
Retired
Livery
Air India's current livery was unveiled in May 2007. It is a cross between Air India's old predominately red and white livery and Indian Airlines's livery. The new livery was first seen in July 2007 on a new Boeing 777-200LR when Air India and Indian Airlines formally became one airline. The fleets of both airlines will be painted in the new livery.
The logo of the combined airline is a Flying Swan with the Konark Chakra placed inside it. The Flying Swan has been adapted from Air India’s characteristic logo, ‘The Centaur’ whereas the Konark Chakra is reminiscent of the Indian Airlines logo. The logo is featured on the tail of the aircraft and the Konark Chakra is on the engines. Colours are red for “Flying Swan” and orange for “Konark Chakra".
While the base colour for the new livery is ivory, Air India's characteristic red has been retained. Running parallel to each other are orange and red speed lines from the front door to the rear door. The brand name ‘Air India’ runs across the tail of the aircraft.
Passenger operations
The airline carried 3.39 million passengers during the financial year ending March 2003 and achieved a load factor of 71.6 per cent, substantially higher than the 66 per cent load factor recorded in the preceding year. Air India offers three classes of serviceFirst Class, Executive Class and Economy Class. Flat bed seats are offered for First and Executive Class passengers. Air India’s frequent flyer programme is called Flying Returns and is shared with Indian Airlines and other subsidiaries. Aside from flight mileage, members receive seat discounts, class upgrades, free hotel stays and other benefits. The airline also offers luxury lounges in its ground terminals for its First and Executive class travelers in select destinations within India. Air India has duty free sales on board its flights, named "Sky Bazaar".
On board
Airbus A310
Air India's Airbus A310-300 fleet fly mainly to medium haul destinations such as Hong Kong, Osaka, Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam. The average age of Air India's Airbus A310-300 fleet is 16.7 years.
Most Airbus A310-300 aircraft are Ex-Singapore Airlines aircraft and as such feature the older two-class Singapore Airlines configuration. Business and Economy class seats are standard and no personal televisions (PTVs) are provided in either class. These aircraft will eventually be replaced by the Boeing 787-8.
Boeing 747
Boeing 747-400 aircraft fly medium haul destinations such as London and Frankfurt and long haul destinations like Newark and Chicago. The average age of the Air India Boeing 747-400 fleet is 13.9 years.
Boeing 747-400 aircraft are configured in a three class configuration with 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 complete 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.
In-flight entertainment on the refurbished Boeing 747-400s features the Thales TopSeries i4000 Entertainment system.
This system features 10.4" widescreen displays for First and Business Class seats and 8.4" widescreen PTVs in Economy Class seats.
The Boeing 747-400 began service in 1993 and were primarily brought in to replace Air India's aging fleet of Boeing 747-237Bs. They have been named after places of cultural interest in India.
All Boeing 747-400 aircraft are due to be retired by 2016, and will be replaced by Boeing 777-200LR and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
Boeing 777
Boeing 777 aircraft fly to medium haul destinations such as Dubai, Frankfurt, London, Paris and Tokyo and long haul destinations like New York and Chicago.
Air India operates several variants of the Boeing 777—the Boeing 777-200, Boeing 777-200ER, Boeing 777-200LR and Boeing 777-300ER.
Boeing 777-200 and Boeing 777-200ER are leased from United Airlines, and as such feature United Airlines interiors. All seats in all classes feature a Personal Television, and business class and first class seats are not lie-flat.
Air India's recently delivered fleet of Boeing 777-200LR and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft feature brand new interiors. The Airline selected the Thales TopSeries i5000 entertainment system for in-flight entertainment on board its new Boeing 777-200LRs and Boeing 777-300ERs..
First class features lie-flat beds with 23" widescreen PTVs with AVOD. The seats include an in-seat massage function, USB ports and laptop power supplies. Business class is the "shell" type and also converts into a completely flat seat. Business class features an 15" widescreen PTVs with laptop power supplies and USB ports. These 777 aircraft feature Air India's new economy class which have 33 to 35 inch seat pitch and 10.6" widescreen PTVs with AVOD.
Maharajah Lounge
Maharajah Lounge means "Emperor's Lounge", and is offered to First and Executive class passengers. Air India shares lounges with other airlines at airports that do not have a Maharajah Lounge available. There are five Maharajah Lounges, each at one of the five major destinations of Air India, which are as following:
Air India is in talks with the operators of the Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad airports to set up lounges in new terminals being constructed there.
Codeshares
As of March 2009, Air India has codesharing agreements with the following airlines:
Air India Code Share Partners and Destinations | Airlines | Destinations |
|---|
|
| Aeroflot ** | Moscow | | Air France ** | Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris | | Air Mauritius | Mauritius | | Austrian Airlines (SA) | Vienna | | Egyptair (SA) | Cairo | | Emirates | Dubai | | Kuwait Airways | Kuwait City | | Indian Airlines | domestic destinations | | Lufthansa (SA) | Amsterdam, Berlin, Chicago-O'Hare, Copenhagen, Denver, Detriot, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Lyon, Munich, Oslo, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Washington,D.C. | | Malaysia Airlines | Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles, Melbourne | | Singapore Airlines (SA) | Bangkok, Brisbane, Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles, Melbourne, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney | | Swiss International Airlines (SA) | Zurich | | Thai Airways International (SA) | Bangkok, Shanghai | | Turkish Airlines (SA) | Istanbul-Ataturk | |
With Air India's own entry into Star Alliance (SA) scheduled for 2009, code share and all other agreements through these Sky Team** partners will be terminated.
Challenges
India has the world's fastest growing airline industry. However, increasing fuel prices resulted in a 4% decline in air traffic in June 2008. Increasing competition of other major Indian carriers like Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines has also caused problems for Air India. Jet Airways is now the largest domestic carrier in India and Kingfisher Airlines has narrowed its gap with Air India in domestic market share. In July 2008, it was reported that Air India was seeking US$534 million in aid from the Indian government to cover its losses. In the wake of rising fuel prices, the airline decided to hike its air fare in June 2008.
Awards and Recognitions
- The airline entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest evacuation 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.
- The airline received The Mercury Award for the years 1994 and 2003, from the International Flight Catering Association, for finest in-flight catering services.
- The United Nations awarded Air India the Montreal Protocol Public Awareness Award for environmental protection, especially in the ozone layer.
- Air India won the Preferred International Airline' award for travel and hospitality from Awaz Consumer Awards 2006
- Air India's security department became the first aviation security organisation in the world to acquire ISO 9002 certification (31 January 31 2001).
- Air India's Department of Engineering has obtained the ISO 9002 for its Engineering facilities for meeting international standards.
Accidents and incidents
Since it began operations, four Air India flights have crashed including one due to a terrorist attack. Air India has a record of 6.82 fatalities per million flights on average.
- On 21 June 1982 Gouri Shankar a Boeing 707-437 coming from Kuala Lumpur via Madras (now Chennai) crashed at Sahar International Airport after a heavy landing during a rainstorm. The fuselage exploded after starting a late go-around. 90 occupants were on the aircraft. 2 of 12 crew members and 15 of 99 passengers were killed in the crash.
- Air India Flight 182 Emperor Kanishka a Boeing 747-237B was blown up in mid-air, mid-flight on 23 June 1985 by a suitcase-bomb as planted by Babbar Khalsa Terrorists allegedly as revenge for the Indian Government's attack (Operation Blue Star) on the sacred Golden Temple. The flight was on the first leg on its Montréal-London-Delhi-Bombay flight when it exploded off the coast of Cork, Ireland. The plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. All 307 passengers and 22 crew on board died. After this incident Air India suspended all services to Canada, which were only resumed in 2005 - after a gap of 20 years.
Financials
The profitability of Air India as in the 2004 annual report by Ministry of Civil Aviation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.
| Year | Revenues Rs Crores | Profit/(Loss) Rs Crores |
|---|
| 2003 | 6,322 | 92 | | 2005 | 9,251 | 18.5 |
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