Air India Comes Home to the Tata Group; Aviation Experience to Get Better?

India is set to have a new aviation experience as Air India comes under the shelter of business giant, the Tata Group. The group had bought the airlines last October but the transaction came to a settlement this Thursday. The Tata Sons Chairman N.Chandrasekaran had met the Prime Minister over a meeting and later called on the finance minister, thanking her for a successful closure of the airline transaction.

“We are excited to have Air India back in the Tata group and we are committed to making this a world-class airline,” said the chairman in a welcoming message. Later, Air India tweeted informing that Air India Limited, Air India Express and AISATS ( AI Stake) have become a part of the group and expressed its eagerness to work with the parent company.

The focus of the business group would be to improve on-time performance of the airline and improve its image worldwide. Among the many changes expected, the first would be of aircraft door closing 10 minutes before the departure time to ensure timeliness in all flight operations.

Other changes include passengers being treated as guests and a special recorded message from the Tata Group would mark the beginning of the journey. The steps shall be taken to improve the general hospitality of the airlines to make it passenger friendly in all possible ways.

The crew members have been asked to pay close attention to overall grooming practices. All crew members are expected to be dressed in proper uniform and shall be subjected to a BMI test ( Body Mass Index) along with a close eye on overall dressing. 

Another welcoming change would be the availability of an enhanced meal that would be served in a staggered manner from Thursday, initially on four flights out of Mumbai to Delhi and one from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi.

As per the guidelines on new cockpit announcements, the crew was expected to say ‘Dear Guests….we look forward to serving you on this and every Air India flight with renewed commitment and passion. Welcome to the future of Air India.”

The Tata Group had founded the airline in 1932 before it was nationalized in 1953.