NEW DELHI, India: Under the Tata Group conglomerate, which regained control of Air India in 2022, the airline is planning an ambitious renaissance after it was nationalized some seven decades ago.
Air India agreed in 2022 to lease 25 Airbus narrow body and five Boeing wide body aircraft to boost its existing fleet by over 25 percent, adding that it had returned 16 grounded aircraft to service.
Vihaan is a five-year recovery plan that was announced by the government. As part of a broader restructuring of Tata's airline business, AI was aimed at becoming a world-class global airline, as well as completing a deal to acquire 100 percent of AirAsia India.
So far this year Air India has reorganized its flights to the UK to capture a larger share of international traffic, offering 12 weekly flights to London Gatwick Airport from smaller Indian cities, as well as resuming non-stop flights between Mumbai and New York, after the launch of non-stop Mumbai-San Francisco services.
The company has invested more than $200 million in 2022 and 2023 to upgrade technology, including reservations and crew rostering systems.