Air India is the pride of India and also represents the brand name of the country. It is a renowned airline in India serving for 85 years and offering employment opportunities to several people. It is an inseparable airline of our nation as it defines who we are and is a part of our history. It had a glorious past and is now looking forward to a captivating future.
Here are a few intriguing facts about our Air India, the mail-to-passenger carrier:
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1. Founder of Air India was J.R.D Tata
In 1932, J.R.D Tata founded Air India with the name Tata Air services and flew with its first De-Havilland-Puss-Moth single-engine from Karachi to Bombay carrying mail.
2. Former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi was a pilot of Air India before joining politics.
3. Air India’s first year of operation was a huge success
During its first year, the aircraft just flew 160,000 miles along with 155 passengers and 10.71 tons of mail. It was its first successful operation that made a profit of 60,000 INR. After its huge success, it launched the Bombay to Trivandrum flight with only six-seater Miles-Merlin.
4. First attempt to nationalize Air India
After World War 2, its commercial services were brought back to India and it became a Public Limited Company in 1946 on 29th July as Air India. The Government of India acquired 49% of the airline in 1948.
5. Air India operated its very first international flight from Mumbai to London Heathrow in 1948
Thus, Air India became the very first Asian airline to run a westbound air service.
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A Constellation aircraft took off from Mumbai on June 8 & landed in London via Cairo & Geneva on June 10, 1948 with 35 passengers on board on the first ever international flight by @airindiain.
Today, we have come a long way. pic.twitter.com/4GWnxJOqXZ
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) June 8, 2020
6. Complete Nationalisation of Air India
The Government of India passed the Air Corporations Act in 1953 and purchased a majority stake from Tata Sons. The domestic services were transferred to Indian Airlines as a part of a restructuring and the company was renamed Air India International Limited.
Recommended read: Meet The Glamorous Air India Hostesses From 60s And 70s, The Golden Era Of Air India
7. The first logo of Air India was a centaur
The first logo was a centaur that was selected by J.R.D. Tata. He was also the first licensed pilot in the country. The circle in the logo is believed to represent the wheel of Konark. The centaur symbolizes the powers of a Sagittarian- a concept that aims for a higher spiritual ideal and lesser-known traits.
8. In the year 1986, Air India delivered its first Airbus A310-300
9. The First airline to obtain ISO 9002 certification
After obtaining the ISO 9002 citification on 31 Jan 2001, the Air India security department became the first aviation security group in the world to obtain it.
10. Air India became the world’s first All-jet airline
After being the first Asian airline to introduce a jet aircraft in its fleet on 21 February 1960, it launched its first Boeing 707-42. Later, on 11 June 1962, Air India was tagged as the world’s first all-jet airline.
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11. Flight AIC001- For Indian dignitaries
Boeing 747, also known as, The Air India One is always reserved for the President, the Prime Minister, and other well-known Indian dignitaries. The flight is designed as a well-equipped workplace with ample space and room to rest.
It has a lavishly designed bedroom, and conference room, and is well-equipped with services like fax, internet, satellite phone, and other necessities to work from a plane.
12. Air India gifted the first-class passengers with an ashtray designed by the renowned artist Salvador Dali
in 1967, some of the first-class passengers of Air India were gifted an ashtray designed by the renowned artist Salvador Dali. This was the first time that the passengers received such a valuable gift which was considered a novel gesture by the airlines.
Did you know the company also gifted the artist a live baby elephant for this remarkable favour? They transported it from Bangalore to Geneva along with its mahout. The artist Salvador Dali’s mask became quite popular after the crime series Money Heist.
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13. Air India has a panel of 8 pilots for VVIPs
To fly the VVIP to any destination across the globe, there are eight experienced pilots who are always on duty. Among the panel of 8 pilots, 4 pilots are on board the flight all the time and are well-versed in the schedule and rules of the VVIP flights.
14. Aircraft Boeing 747 is reserved for carrying VVIP passengers
The aircraft reserved for carrying VVIP passengers takes flights from Palam Air Force Station, New Delhi. A jumbo aircraft is always kept on standby mode when a VVIP boards the flight with the aim to tackle all sorts of emergency situations.
15. Guinness Book of World Record for evacuation
Air India has been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records for carrying out the biggest evacuation in the world’s history. When 111,000 Indian immigrants were stranded in Iraq and Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War, 488 Air India flights flew between Amman and Mumbai in 59 days.
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Based on this evacuation, the Bollywood film Airlift was released in 2016.
16. Special Protection Guard takes control of the overall security of aircraft
The commandos of special protection guards take control of the overall security of aircraft and check every corner of the aircraft from the water tank to the fuel tank, switch, lever, and even swab tests are acted upon.
17. Air India introduced luxury air travel with “palace in the sky”
In the form of its first Boeing 747-200B, Air India’s “palace in the sky” was introduced in 1971. This embodied luxury air travel with the name, Emperor Ashoka. Such luxury was not offered by any other aircraft at that time.
On this day in 1971 Air India bought its first Boeing 747 – a prestigious “Jumbo Jet” – and named it after the Mauryan ruler Emperor Ashoka. pic.twitter.com/0RdjRnTLeC
— Sanjib Acharya (@SanjibA96160619) April 18, 2021
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18. The founder of Air India, J.R.D Tata was India’s first aviator and licensed pilot in 1929
19. Air India International services
Being the 4th largest airline in domestic share, it also serves internationally. Air India has an 18.6% market share which makes it the largest international carrier in India.
20. Air India Limited- merger of Air India and Indian airlines
Air India and Indian Airlines were merged under Air India Limited in 2007, and the airline got its first Boeing 777 aircraft. The airline was also invited to be a part of the Star Alliance in the same year.
21. Attempt to privatise Air India
The Government of India approved the privatisation of Air India on 28 June 2017. But given the condition of the airlines, no private firms displayed any interest in purchasing the debt-laden airline.
22. Air India Express
Air India operates through its subsidiary Air India Express to domestic and Asian destinations.
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23. Air India Mascot- the Maharaja
In 1946, Air India’s mascot was created by Bobby Kooka, the commercial director of Air India at that time, and Umesh Rao, an artist with J. Walter Thompson Limited. The mascot is the Maharajah (high king).
24. Air India’s art collection
Air India collected art from 1956 to the mid-2000s and built a collection of Indian art which comprises works of significant Indian photographers and artists of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The collection includes sculptures, glass paintings, wood carvings, a large collection of rare textiles, and many more. The artworks can be found in a building in Nariman Point, Mumbai.
#FlyAI: Air India has been a leading Corporate Collector of Art in India with an iconic collection of Contemporary and Classical Art. We are delighted to present these objet d’art, offering a rare opportunity to savour the work of some legendary artists. pic.twitter.com/kBssbGVNjS
— Air India (@airindiain) October 8, 2021
25. Air-India removed the hyphen from its name in 2005 to increase its online visibility
It was an attempt to improve their visibility in the search results to keep up with the increasing demand of online reservation searches.
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26. Re-privatisation of Air India and returning to its parent company Tata Sons
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the chairman of Tata Sons was appointed as the chairman of the airline in March 2022. But from May 2022, Campbell Wilson was appointed as Air India’s CEO and MD by Tata Sons.
Air India goes back to Tata. Somehow I am happy.
Russia became a Market economy, China became Capitalistic. Some Indian Policies are coming to term with today’s global reality.
I am glad I still have Air India frequent flyers milage left. pic.twitter.com/ZbNVNsEwp4
— Konda Vishweshwar Reddy (@KVishReddy) October 9, 2021
27. The airline signed an interline pact with AirAsia India
The airline signed an interline pact with AirAsia India in February 2022 for domestic flights, two weeks after its privatization which is a low-cost airline owned by Tata Group.
Do you know any more facts about the “Maharaja of the skies”? Feel free to share in the comments below.
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