Air India

Air India traces its origins to October 1932, when aviator and tycoon J.R.D. Tata founded Tata Airlines. Operating initially as an airmail carrier using single-engine de Havilland Puss Moths, the enterprise expanded into commercial passenger services following World War II and was converted into a public limited company renamed Air-India in 1946. In 1953, the Government of India nationalized the airline, splitting operations into domestic and international divisions, with the latter eventually consolidating under the Air-India moniker. Over the subsequent decades, the carrier emerged as India's primary international flag carrier, joining Star Alliance in 2014.

State ownership was frequently plagued by heavy financial debt, structural inefficiencies, and the complex fallout of a 2007 merger with state-owned domestic operator Indian Airlines. A turning point occurred in October 2021 when Tata Sons won the bidding process to reacquire the carrier, returning Air India to its founding corporate group after 69 years. Under private stewardship, the airline embarked on an aggressive fleet and operational modernization strategy—including massive aircraft orders and the subsequent consolidation of sister carriers such as Vistara—to reposition itself within the contemporary global aviation market.