Air India , the national flag carrier of India , erstwhile Tata Airlines, was found in the year 1932 by J.R.D. Tata. On 29 July, 1946 after the transformation of Tata Airlines into public sector it derived its new name
Air India . It was in the year 1948 that Air India received the permission to fly internationally. On the 8 th of June of the same year the Air Indian aircraft Lockheed Constellation L-749A named
Malabar Princess flew for London , from Bombay via Cairo and Geneva . The next international flight of
Air India was to Nairobi via Aden .
Air India International came into existence with the nationalization of the air transportation industry under the Air Corporations Act. Subsequently, in the year 1954
Air India International started is services to Singapore , Bangkok , Hong Kong and Tokyo .
In 1960 Air India International started its jet services and it first flew to New York via London .
Boeing 707 was its first jet aircraft and was named “
Nandadevi ”. On the 8 th of June 1960 Air India International was officially named Air India . Finally on 11 th of June Air India was declared to be the first airline with all jet planes. At present Air India owns 35 aircrafts with the ever smiling turbaned “
Maharaja ” as its mascot. They are:
- 19 Airbus A310
- 2 Boeing 747 -300 M(Combi)
- 8 Boeing 747 -400
- 1 Boeing 747 -400 ( Combi)
- 1 Boeing 767-300
- 1 Boeing 777 -200
- 3 Boeing 777 -200 ER
Air India plans to add some more new aircrafts by the year 2007. These are:
- 13 Boeing 737- 800
- 27 Boeing 787 - 8
- 15 Boeings= 777 - 300 ER
- 8 Boeing 777- 300 LR
Air India holds a big office at
Nariman Point Mumbai .
Air India airlines has its main bases at
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai and Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi and its hub at the
Chennai International Airport . Air India travels to 95 destinations across the globe. Along with its fully owned subsidiary
AirIndiaexpress, it connects 12 Indian destinations. Air India flies to:
- United Kingdom
- North America
- East Asia
- Middle East
- South East Asia
- France
- Africa
Air India takes good care of its customers comfort. For a smooth and happy journey it provides to its passengers:
- Three classes of travel – First class, Executive class and Economy class.
- Spacious and comfortable seating
- Frequent flyer program
- Luxury lounges
- Duty free sale on board
- E-ticket facility
- In flight refreshments and entertainments
