Maharaja's mourning: A blood-stained chapter opens for leviathan Air India mid-makeover

Time of India

19 hours ago

Air India
flight's horrible crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday,
which claimed the lives of 265 people
, comes after the flag carrier spent many years trying to turn its fortunes around. That effort followed a troubled past marked by both financial losses and safety failures under government ownership.
Once a massive drain on taxpayers, Air India was placed on a multi-step transformation path after the Tata group acquired it three years back, aiming to become a 'world class global airline with an Indian heart'. Under private control, the airline expanded its fleet and network, overhauled the customer experience, and worked to improve operational reliability. In the wake of its merger with Vistara last year, the full-service carrier also began repainting and retrofitting its aircraft.
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Yet despite these efforts, the scale of this tragedy arrives at a time when Air India's recovery remains an ongoing process.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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Undo
In 2010, an Air India flight arriving from Dubai veered off the runway at Mangalore and plunged over a cliff, killing 158 of the 166 people on board. A decade later, in 2020, an Air India Express flight skidded off a runway in southern India in heavy rain, broke into two and left 18 dead and more than 120 injured.
Both disasters involved older
Boeing
737‑800 jets and occurred while Air India was still state-run. That changed in 2022, when Tata Sons acquired the carrier, ending decades of government control.
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The ₹180 billion deal (then about $2.4 billion) was in some respects a return home, as Air India had its roots in the Tata family's founding of
Tata Airlines
in 1932. It also formed part of a broader rescue attempt for a carrier crippled by debts and losses.
By the time the take-over took place, Air India was, in the words of CEO Campbell Wilson to Reuters in 2024, 'just in absolute shambles'. Many aircraft had not received a product refresh since their delivery in 2010–11.
Tata's overhaul of Air India
After gaining control, the Tata group set about revitalising the ailing airline. This included placing an order for 470 new aircraft, the carrier's largest ever, and extending its international reach.
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People had high hopes when Tata took over Air India. Back when Tata owned the airline before it was taken over by the government, it had a great reputation. But now, problems with quality and service have let people down.
Three years on from privatisation,
Air India has managed to significantly reduce its losses
and shrink its reliance on fresh investment from Tata Sons, CEO Campbell Wilson told the Economic Times recently. He declined to say when the airline might become profitable.
He said that losses had fallen sharply—from ₹11,387 crore in FY23, the first full year after privatisation, to ₹4,444 crore in FY24. FY25 figures are yet to be released. An internal presentation reviewed by ET showed the airline aimed for profitability by FY27, although experts have warned that the closure of Pakistani airspace to Indian carriers may delay that goal.
Air India's struggle with ageing fleet
Once on the world stage, Air India's maharajah mascot, lavishly decorated planes and high service standards under the stewardship of JRD Tata—India's first commercial pilot—had inspired pride. That changed in the mid‑2000s as financial woes deepened. Widebody aircraft were left with sagging business class seats and some new Boeing 787 Dreamliners were grounded due to spare parts unavailability.
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Jitendra Bhargava, former executive director of Air India and author of The Descent of Air India, attributed the decline to a culture shaped by government ownership, which fostered outdated procedures and bureaucratic leadership. 'You are getting a recipe for disaster. And we went through it,' he told The Associated Press. He added that continuous money losses had a 'cascading effect' on the airline's ability to invest in equipment and upgrades.
At the time of the takeover, Air India had around a 12 per cent share of India's domestic market and faced intense competition from private rivals. Bhargava and other experts agreed that only by shedding government control could Air India hope to modernise its operations and fleet.
In recent years, the airline has revamped its branding and placed substantial orders for new aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus. Although the 12‑year‑old Boeing 787 that crashed on Thursday marked the first fatal crash of that model, analysts say the disaster is unlikely to halt Air India's Boeing commitments.
'Admittedly, Air India and the Tata organization have been very proud about the fact that they've made a major commitment to Boeing,' said Anita Mendiratta, an aviation and leadership consultant. She observed that despite recent issues with Boeing's 737 Max, airlines worldwide remain keen to source its newer aircraft, including the 787 Dreamliner, which remains vital for reducing emissions and cutting costs.
Air India holds around 30 per cent of India's domestic market and owns 198 aircraft—of which 27 are aged 10–15 years, and 43 are over 15 years old, according to the civil aviation ministry's March statement to parliament. Air India Express operates 101 planes, of which 37 per cent are over 15 years old.
The Boeing 787 that crashed this week was 11 years old, Flightradar24 reported. The airline, part‑owned by Singapore Airlines, has since ordered 570 more planes and is negotiating for additional jets.
By comparison, airlines like IndiGo operate newer fleets. Air India has also aggressively increased its international flight network, even as passengers regularly air grievances on social media about dirty seats, broken armrests, non‑functional entertainment systems and unclean cabins. In May, Reuters cited UK Civil Aviation Authority data, via the PA news agency, saying Air India was the worst airline in Britain for flight delays, with departures averaging nearly 46 minutes late in 2024.
In the past two to three years, Air India has faced a string of operational challenges—from pilot protests and persistent delays to complaints about customer discomfort and safety.
Investigation and aftermath of the Boeing 787 crash
Boeing itself has endured a rocky period, with past fatal crashes. However, Thursday's crash was the first involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, according to the Aviation Safety Network database. The cause of the crash remains uncertain.
An international inquiry has been launched. Boeing said it was 'working to gather more information.' Air India also stated it would seek answers and pledged support for those affected.
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'This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India,' CEO Campbell Wilson said in recorded remarks. 'Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones.'
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, conveyed deep sorrow. 'No words can adequately express the grief we feel at this moment,' he said, adding that victims' families would receive ₹10 million (almost $117,000) each and that medical bills for the injured would be covered.
The Boeing 787 crashed into a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad. According to a senior Indian official and Air India, only a single passenger survived; the airline confirmed that there were no other survivors, bringing the death toll to 241.
This tragedy echoes earlier disasters: in 1978, an Air India Boeing 747 plunged into the Arabian Sea with 213 lives lost. Until 2022, the airline was under government control, a period that also saw state‑owned carriers involved in fatal crashes—from over 50 deaths in Patna in 2000, to 55 in Aurangabad in 1993, more than 130 in Ahmedabad in 1988, and 69 near Imphal in 1991.