Air India facts for kids
An Air India Airbus A350, one of its newest planes.
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| Founded | 15 October 1932 (as Tata Airlines) |
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| Commenced operations | 29 July 1946 |
| Hubs | Delhi |
| Secondary hubs |
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| Focus cities |
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| Frequent-flyer program | Maharaja Club |
| Alliance | Star Alliance |
| Subsidiaries |
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| Fleet size | 196 (excl. subsidiary) |
| Destinations | 92 |
| Parent company | Air India Limited |
| Headquarters | Gurugram, Haryana, India |
| Key people | |
| Revenue |  ₹38,812 crore (US$6.6 billion) (FY 2024) |
| Profit | ▼₹-4,444 crore (US$−760 million) (FY 2024) |
Air India is the main airline that represents India around the world. Its main airport hub is in Delhi at Indira Gandhi International Airport. It also has other important hubs in Bengaluru and Mumbai. The airline is owned by the Tata Group, a large Indian company.
Air India flies to over 100 places in India and other countries. It uses a mix of Airbus and Boeing planes. It is the second-largest airline in India after IndiGo. In 2014, Air India joined Star Alliance, a group of major airlines that work together.
The airline was started in 1932 by J. R. D. Tata as Tata Airlines. Mr. Tata himself flew the first flight, carrying mail from Karachi to Bombay (now Mumbai). After World War II, the Indian government took over the airline in 1953 and renamed it Air India. In 1960, it became the first airline in Asia to use a jet plane, a Boeing 707.
For many years, the airline faced financial problems. In 2022, after 69 years, the Tata Group bought the airline back from the government. Air India's famous mascot is the Maharajah, an emperor figure. Its logo used to be a flying swan, but in 2023 it was changed to a new design inspired by a traditional Indian window shape called a Jharokha.
Contents
History
How It All Began (1932–1945)
Air India was started by J. R. D. Tata, an Indian pilot and businessman. In 1932, he won a contract to fly mail for Imperial Airways. He started an airline department in his company, Tata Sons, with just two small planes.
On October 15, 1932, J. R. D. Tata flew the very first flight. He carried mail from Karachi to Bombay. Another pilot then flew the mail on to Madras (now Chennai). At first, the airline only flew mail once a week. In its first year, it carried 155 passengers and a lot of mail, making a small profit.
Soon, the airline started flying passengers between cities like Bombay and Trivandrum. In 1938, the airline was renamed Tata Airlines. It started flying to more cities, including Delhi. During World War II, the airline helped the British Royal Air Force by moving soldiers and supplies.
Flying for India (1946–2000)
After the war, the airline became a public company and was renamed Air India in 1946. When India became independent in 1947, the Indian government bought a large part of the airline. On June 8, 1948, Air India made its first international flight from Bombay to London.
In 1953, the government took full control of the airline. J. R. D. Tata remained its chairman until 1977. The airline was split into two: Air India handled international flights, and a new airline, Indian Airlines, handled flights within India. Air India began flying to cities in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
A big moment came on February 21, 1960, when Air India got its first Boeing 707 jet. This made it the first Asian airline to fly jets. Soon after, it started flying to New York. By 1962, Air India was the world's first airline to have a fleet made up of only jet aircraft.
In 1971, the airline got its first Boeing 747-200B, a giant plane it called Emperor Ashoka. It introduced a new look for its planes, with the slogan "Your Palace in the Sky."
Tough Times and Changes (2000–2022)
In the 2000s, Air India started to lose money. In 2007, the government merged Air India with Indian Airlines to try and fix the problem. But the combined airline lost even more money. The government had to give the airline money to keep it running.
Because of these problems, Air India had to sell some of its planes. In 2011, its invitation to join the Star Alliance was put on hold. However, things started to get better, and on July 11, 2014, Air India officially became a member of the Star Alliance.
In 2021, Air India was the target of a cyberattack. The personal information of about 4.5 million customers, including passport and credit card details, was stolen. The airline told passengers to change their passwords to be safe.
A New Chapter with Tata (2022–present)
The Indian government decided to sell the airline. After a few tries, the Tata Group, the same company that started the airline, bought it back. On January 27, 2022, Air India was officially handed over to the Tata Group.
The new owners started a big plan to transform the airline. They began merging their other airlines, like Vistara and AirAsia India, into Air India. This merger was completed in November 2024.
In February 2023, Air India made exciting news by placing an order for 470 new planes from Airbus and Boeing. It was the largest aircraft order in history at the time. In August 2023, the airline revealed a new logo and a new paint design for its planes, called "The Vista." The first plane with the new look was an Airbus A350 that started flying in January 2024.
Corporate Identity
Headquarters and Mascot
Air India's main office is in Gurugram, a city near Delhi. For a long time, its headquarters was in the famous Air India Building in Mumbai.
The airline's mascot is the Maharajah. He was created in 1946. The creators said, "He may look like royalty, but he isn't royal." The Maharajah was used in many popular ads and became a symbol of Indian hospitality. In 2023, the airline gave him a new, modern look.
Logo and Livery
The "livery" is the paint design on an airplane. Air India's colors are red and white. For many years, its planes had a design that looked like palace windows, fitting the "Palace in the Sky" slogan.
The first logo was a centaur (a mythical creature that is half-man, half-horse) shooting an arrow. In 2007, after merging with Indian Airlines, the logo changed to a red flying swan with a wheel inside it.
In August 2023, Air India introduced a brand-new look. The new logo is inspired by a jharokha, a type of decorated window found in Indian palaces. The new livery uses deep red, purple, and gold colors. The tail of the plane has a pattern based on the Indian chakra (wheel).
Destinations
As of 2024, Air India flies to 84 destinations. This includes 44 cities within India and 40 cities in other countries across five continents. Its main hub is in Delhi, with other important hubs in Bengaluru and Mumbai.
Air India is a member of the Star Alliance. This means it partners with other major airlines like Lufthansa and United Airlines. This allows passengers to travel smoothly to almost anywhere in the world.
Fleet
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Air India has a large fleet of airplanes made by both Airbus and Boeing.
- Narrow-body aircraft, like the Airbus A320 family, are used for flights within India and to nearby countries.
- Wide-body aircraft, like the Boeing 777, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and the new Airbus A350, are used for long-haul flights to places like Europe, North America, and Australia.
In 2023, Air India placed a record-breaking order for 470 new aircraft from Airbus and Boeing. This huge order includes modern and fuel-efficient planes like the Airbus A350, Boeing 787-9, and Boeing 777X. This will help the airline modernize its fleet and fly to even more destinations.
Services
Cabin and Entertainment
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Air India offers different classes of travel, including Economy, Premium Economy, and Business Class. On some long-haul flights, there is also a First Class. The airline is currently upgrading the cabins on its older planes to give them a fresh, modern look.
Most long-distance flights have personal TV screens for every passenger. You can watch movies, TV shows, and listen to music. The airline's in-flight magazine is called Namaste.ai. In 2024, Air India started offering free Wi-Fi on its newest planes, becoming the first Indian airline to do so.
Frequent Flyer Programme
Air India's program for loyal customers is called Maharaja Club. Passengers can earn points when they fly and use them for future tickets or upgrades. This program was created by merging Air India's original program, Flying Returns, with Vistara's Club Vistara.
Special Missions
As India's national airline, Air India often helps in emergencies. It has evacuated Indian citizens from countries during wars and crises.
In 1990, during the Gulf War, Air India carried out the largest evacuation by a civilian airline in history. It flew 488 flights over 59 days to bring home over 111,000 Indians from Kuwait and Iraq. This amazing feat earned it a place in the Guinness Book of World Records and was the subject of the movie Airlift.
The airline has also conducted rescue missions during conflicts in Libya (2011), Yemen (2015), Afghanistan (2021), and Ukraine (2022).
Accidents and Incidents
Flying is very safe, but like all airlines, Air India has had accidents in its long history.
- On November 3, 1950, a flight named Malabar Princess crashed on Mont Blanc in France while flying to London. All 48 people on board died.
- On January 24, 1966, another flight crashed on the same mountain, Mont Blanc. All 117 people on board were killed, including the famous Indian scientist Homi J. Bhabha.
- On January 1, 1978, a Boeing 747 crashed into the sea just after takeoff from Bombay. The pilots became confused because an instrument failed. All 213 people on board died.
- On June 23, 1985, Air India Flight 182 was flying from Canada to India when a bomb planted by terrorists exploded. The plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland. All 329 people on board were killed. This was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks involving an airplane before 9/11. A memorial for the victims stands in Toronto, Canada.
- On 12 June 2025, Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787‑8 Dreamliner on the Ahmedabad–London Gatwick route, crashed into the hostel building of B. J. Medical College, shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. The aircraft came down into the Meghani Nagar area with 244 occupants on board. Initial reports from the crash site are of one survivor, a Briton in seat A11. The flight had 169 Indian, 53 British, 1 Canadian, and 7 Portugese citizens on board. Investigations by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Air India are underway.
See also
- List of airlines of India
- List of airports in India
- Transport in India
Images for kids
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Artworks at an Air India office in Budapest, Hungary, in 1970.
