Air India

Air India, founded by J.R.D. Tata in July 1932 as Tata Airlines, is India’s national airlines and flag carrier. The Airline’s birth is often attributed to the October, 1932 flight flown successfully by Tata from Karachi to Bombay (now Mumbai).

Tata Airlines became a publicly-traded company in July, 1946, officially becoming Air India. After 1948, the Indian Government became controlling shareholder, granting Air India access to international air paths.

The new millennium has been tough on Air India. After a privatization attempt failed (in 2001), the Indian Government announced (in 2007) that Air India would merge with Indian. This union has only produced increased financial woes, employee problems, and decreased market share.

As a result, Air India has begun a wide-spread corporate restructuring that, although a bit slow taking off seems to be gaining speed. It presently has approximately 49 domestic destinations and 26 international ones. It services approximately 19 countries throughout Asia, Europe, and North America.