Ratan Tata counts on Chandra for decision behind Air India buy

Ratan Tata, Tata Trusts Chairman has credited the decision to bid for Air India to group Chairman N Chandrasekaran. An aviation buff with pilot licences for both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, Tata is said to closely follow key global trends in the aviation sector.

Tata said, "The decision reached by Tata Sons was totally based on the study undertaken and concluded by those under the leadership of group Chairman N Chandrasekaran. It is true that I have a passion for aviation and have enjoyed my time as a type-rated pilot on a variety of aircraft. I have not, however, had an involvement in the decision to bid for Air India other than a positive emotional feeling that we could endeavor to help re-establish Air India to the level of prominence it had in days gone by."

Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata founded Air India in 1932 and named it Tata Airlines. In 1946, the aviation division of Tata Sons was incorporated as Air India, and in 1948, Air India International was launched with flights to Europe. The international service could be termed as one of the first PPPs in India, with the government holding 49%, the Tatas keeping 25% and the public owning the rest.

In 1953, Air India was nationalised. Raghu Vishwanath MD, Vertebrand Management Consulting, says the challenge for the current leadership team would be to ensure a significant improvement in user experience to strengthen the brand Air India, which has enormous visibility and emotional attachment with consumers.

After winning the bid, Ratan Tata said, "Welcome Back, Air India... While admittedly it will take considerable effort to rebuild Air India, it will hopefully provide a very strong market opportunity to the Tata Group's presence in the aviation industry".