New Delhi: As the Tata Group completed its first year of taking over the Maharaja, Air India MD-CEO Campbell Wilson told employees on Friday that “the progress (made) over the last 12 months has been nothing short of stunning” and “more than our successes, it is how we respond to our lapses that will define us”. The airline is going to place a mega order for a mix of Boeing and Airbus single- and twin-aisles soon.
Global supply chain constraints sparked by Covid and then aggravated by Russia’s war on Ukraine have delayed ambitious plans of Air India to upgrade the existing product. However, despite the challenges, Wilson gave a list of what has been achieved in the last one year and what remains to be done.
The achievements include taking a number of grounded-for-years aircraft back in the sky. Wilson said the number of operating aircraft in the last one year has increased 27% and is at 100 now. “The number of daily flights has increased by 30% and weekly international services have risen 63%. Sixteen new international routes have been started or announced (to be launched shortly) and frequency on nine existing ones has been increased. Average daily passengers have risen by 72% and daily revenue has doubled. Average daily frequency has increased 81%.”
The first improvement that AI saw under the Tatas was in onboard meals, thanks to sister company Taj Hotels’ flight catering subsidiary TajSATS. Subsequently, as AI was able to make grounded planes airworthy and procure spares, the on-time performance saw vast improvement. For many months, Tata Group airlines – AI, Vistara and AirAsia India – topped the domestic punctuality charts. Thanks to fund infusion, AI was able to process Covid-time refunds to passengers waiting a long time for the same.