Air India's post-privatisation turnaround stalled
AVIATION & AIRPORTS

Air India's post-privatisation turnaround stalled

In January 2022, it was reported that Tata Group had taken over Air India from the government, sparking hopes for India's debt-ridden, loss-making, and grossly inefficient flag carrier, which had been run into the ground by successive governments. Two years later, it was revealed that Tata was facing challenges in its efforts to turn the airline around. Despite having a roadmap to restore its former glory, Tata was struggling with the process of merging its four airlines: Vistara, jointly owned with Singapore Airlines, and Air India into a full-service carrier, and Air India Express with AIX Connect into a low-cost airline. Despite implementing several measures to revive the struggling airline, Tata had yet to bring it back to the prestigious status it once held before its nationalisation in 1953.

A potential obstacle to the merger emerged as Air India encountered various difficulties on its transformational journey. The merger of Vistara with Air India encountered a setback when Vistara pilots initiated a strike. Since April 1, Vistara had cancelled more than 125 flights due to a number of its pilots taking sick leave at the end of March. Some of these pilots were protesting against a downward revision in pay ahead of the merger with Air India later in the year, citing growing fatigue from a busy schedule. Vistara's CEO Vinod Kannan stated that operations were expected to return to normal by May as the issues causing flight disruptions, primarily a stretched pilot roster, were being addressed. Kannan apologised to affected customers and emphasized that such disruptions were not typical of the airline's service standards.

In January 2022, it was reported that Tata Group had taken over Air India from the government, sparking hopes for India's debt-ridden, loss-making, and grossly inefficient flag carrier, which had been run into the ground by successive governments. Two years later, it was revealed that Tata was facing challenges in its efforts to turn the airline around. Despite having a roadmap to restore its former glory, Tata was struggling with the process of merging its four airlines: Vistara, jointly owned with Singapore Airlines, and Air India into a full-service carrier, and Air India Express with AIX Connect into a low-cost airline. Despite implementing several measures to revive the struggling airline, Tata had yet to bring it back to the prestigious status it once held before its nationalisation in 1953. A potential obstacle to the merger emerged as Air India encountered various difficulties on its transformational journey. The merger of Vistara with Air India encountered a setback when Vistara pilots initiated a strike. Since April 1, Vistara had cancelled more than 125 flights due to a number of its pilots taking sick leave at the end of March. Some of these pilots were protesting against a downward revision in pay ahead of the merger with Air India later in the year, citing growing fatigue from a busy schedule. Vistara's CEO Vinod Kannan stated that operations were expected to return to normal by May as the issues causing flight disruptions, primarily a stretched pilot roster, were being addressed. Kannan apologised to affected customers and emphasized that such disruptions were not typical of the airline's service standards.

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

NF Railway Launches Girder on World’s Tallest Pier Bridge in Manipur

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has reached a significant engineering milestone by successfully completing the girder launch on the iconic Noney Bridge in Manipur.Regarded as an engineering marvel, the Noney Bridge is recognized as the world’s tallest railway pier bridge. It forms a crucial part of the 111 km long Jiribam-Imphal railway line project.Recently, the final span of the bridge was successfully erected, marking the completion of all eight spans of this monumental infrastructure venture.Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer of NFR, stated that this accomplishm..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Cube Highways Trust Reports Rs 34.53 Bn Total Income in FY25

Cube Highways Trust (Cube InvIT), managed by Cube Highways Fund Advisors, concluded its second financial year post-listing on a strong note by reporting a total consolidated income of Rs 34.53 billion for the financial year 2025, marking a 12.3 percent year-on-year (YoY) increase.According to the official media release, Cube InvIT posted a consolidated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) of Rs 2,380 crore, reflecting a 21.7 percent YoY growth. During the year, traffic volumes increased by 6.2 percent, while the Asset Under Management (AUM) grew 25 percent to ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

New Flyover to Ease Traffic on Hyderabad’s Busiest Road

To improve urban connectivity and reduce traffic congestion in the city, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will undertake the construction of a two-lane unidirectional flyover at NFCL Junction in Banjara Hills, along with a two-lane unidirectional underpass and a three-lane unidirectional flyover at TV9 Junction, as part of the state government’s prestigious Hyderabad City Innovative and Transformative Infrastructure (H-CITI) programme.The NFCL Junction flyover will be a two-lane unidirectional structure extending from Banjara Hills Road No. 3 towards GVK Mall. It is planned..

Advertisement

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?