The nation’s flag carrier has long been considered a symbol of pride with a maharaja as its mascot. However, its reputation has been marred by persistent operational and service-related goof-ups since the Tata takeover.
Prabhu Chawla
In the new firmament of Indian independence, a new maharaja conquered the sky. Designed by Bobby Kuka, Air India’s immortal mascot with a twirling moustache and decorated turban was the country’s symbol for a welcome in the sky. Over the years, this glorious image became tarnished thanks to public-sector nepotism and indifference, accumulating total losses of Rs 70,000 crore, more than a king’s ransom. Then, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did what others before him had promised: unshackle the overweight maharaja from incompetence and loss.
he USP of royals is cachet. Air India, with over 17,000 employees, was taken over by one of Indian industry’s oldest maharajas—the Tatas. Everyone expected the king of the skies to get a shining new look and feel. Unfortunately, the reverse has happened. AI’s monarch became even more shabby, and as efficient and friendly as the purveyor of a roadside eatery. There is hardly a day when AI doesn’t face passengers’ wrath for mismanagement. From inadequate and horrendous in-flight services to technical faults, flight delays and arrogant staff, India’s premier airline is plagued with multiple malaises.
In his message to shareholders a year after taking charge company Chairman N Chandrasekaran wrote: “The team at Air India has been working hard to transform this ‘national institution’ into a ‘national inspiration’. So on behalf of the board, I would like to acknowledge their effort and that of fellow directors. Much has been achieved, but there is much more yet to be done. Expectations for the new AI are high, but the resolve, enthusiasm and focus on delivering burns bright.” But three years after the takeover, AI isn’t an inspiration but a source of melancholy.
As the new owners with a phalanx of crackerjack officials track the faultlines, many more surface with menacing celerity. Early this month, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was horrified to find that he had been allocated a broken seat. Chouhan isn’t known for angry outbursts; but he was so incensed that he even questioned the idea of handing over AI to the Tatas. He posted: “I had the impression that AI’s service would have improved once Tata took over its management, but it turned out to be my misconception. I don’t care about my discomfort while sitting, but it is unethical to charge the full amount from passengers and then make them sit on bad and uncomfortable seats. Isn’t this cheating the passengers?”
Chouhan was reflecting the exasperation of a large section of AI’s over-45-million fliers. The nation’s flag carrier has long been considered a symbol of pride with a maharaja as its mascot. However, its reputation has been marred by persistent operational and service-related goof-ups since the Tata takeover. The numerous challenges include recurring flight delays and cancellations due to fleet deficiencies that undermine its ambitious plan for growth and global competitiveness.
The airline’s inexplicable deficiency in in-flight service has drawn consistent passenger ire. Frequent reports of outdated cabin interiors, malfunctioning amenities and poor service paint a picture of an airline owned by the Tatas struggling to modernise. For instance, on March 5, AI flight 126 from Chicago to Delhi was forced to return to O’Hare International Airport due to malfunctioning lavatories. The stinking incident pointed towards inadequate oversight by crew and underscored a broader problem: ageing aircraft with substandard maintenance and insufficient upgrades to passenger-facing systems.
Another pestilential experience occurred in late 2024 when passengers on long-haul flights to the US complained of broken in-flight entertainment systems and worn-out seats on legacy Boeing 777s. It exposed AI’s promise of a “heavy refreshment” plan to install new seat covers, cushions and carpets by mid-2025. The slow pace of retrofitting has left many travellers having to tolerate the inferior flying experience. It is perhaps to do with Tata’s inability to correct the decades of underinvestment in passenger facilities during the airline’s state-owned era.
AI suffers from technical flaws as well, raising concerns about safety and operational reliability. On January 5, flight 2820 from Bengaluru to Delhi made an emergency landing back in Bengaluru after one of its engines shut down mid-air. The incident added to a growing list of mechanical failures. In 2024, an AI Boeing 777 flying from Delhi to San Francisco was diverted due to a hydraulic failure, and multiple flights faced delays from minor technical glitches, forcing the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to fine the airline.
AI admirers claim that these are isolated incidents that are being addressed. These issues just can’t be attributed to the pains of an airline which is in transitional transformation. AI’s fleet shortage is one of the primary reasons for its woes. The airline operates a mixed fleet of approximately 140 aircraft, a number dwarfed by competitors like IndiGo with over 425 aircraft and global players like Emirates. In addition, a significant portion of its fleet—especially the legacy Boeing 777s and older A320s—is outdated.
Even configurations of its fleet suffer from operational infirmities. Its fleet renewal programme, touted as a game-changer, includes a historic order for 470 news planes in 2023, followed up by another order for a 100 more aircraft the next year. Deliveries began with the A350-900 entering service on the Delhi-New York route in November 2024, followed by Delhi-Newark in January 2025. Yet, progress is slow.
To be fair, AI has shown some positive results as well. Tata’s stewardship has led to operational improvements: a 25 percent revenue increase, 50 percent loss reduction and the massive aircraft order signalling ambition and financial recovery. Its domestic market share rose from 8.7 percent in 2022 to 9.7 percent in 2023, and on-time performance improved from 70 percent in 2021 to 90 percent in 2022, partially bolstered by Tata’s reputation for discipline and scale.
But the Tata group is yet to erase the public-sector mindset that still dictates 40 percent of AI’s staff. Internal sabotage by the old employees isn’t ruled out as well. The Tatas may have brought in a reputed foreigner to turn around a sick and maimed monster. But going by the response mechanism, it is evident that the company lacks an architecture that can provide the management with genuine feedback from the ground.
AI has an advantage over other international airlines. Since it has not yet used all of its share of international slots, a refurbished AI can be the darling of the largest number of compulsive Indian travellers. If it’s to become a global leader in aviation, it should inject a massive dose of Tataism in the 79-year-old baby crawling on its knees. Or else, India’s most vaunted palace in the sky could become a moribund relic with its head in the clouds. Instead of saying ‘ta’, it could be saying ta-ta to an aviation heritage established by JRD himself.
Prabhu Chawla is a noted journalist
Source : The New Indian Express
