Ratan Tata releases a special message welcoming passengers onboard Air India flights

|HT|

Industrialist Ratan Tata has released a special message welcoming the passengers onboard Air India flights, after the airline’s takeover by Tata Group. The message was posted on Air India’s officials Twitter handle on Wednesday morning. “The Tata group welcomes Air India's new customers and is excited to work together to make Air India the airline of choice in terms of passenger comfort and service," Ratan Tata is heard saying in the audio message, which shows Air India planes during the flights. After taking over the airline last week, the Tata Group said it is focusing on smart and well-groomed cabin crew members, better on-time performance of flights, calling passengers as "guests" and enhanced in-flight meal service.

Air India was handed over to the Tata Group last Thursday, nearly 69 years after it was taken from the conglomerate.

N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, which in October won the bid for the national carrier, first called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi before heading to the Air India office where the takeover formalities were completed.

A new board of directors met shortly thereafter, formalising the management takeover.

For Tatas, Air India will be the third airline. It already operates Vistara in joint venture with Singapore Airlines and AirAsia India in partnership with AirAsia Group. Tatas took over ₹15,300 crore of debt in Air India and Air India Express Ltd while the remaining ₹46,262 crore loan plus an outstanding of about ₹15,000 crore towards unpaid fuel bills were paid off by the government.

Air India will give Tatas immediate access to valuable flying rights and landing slots and it will also gain control of low-cost, short-haul international carrier Air India Express as well as a 50 per cent stake in a ground handling company with SATS Ltd.

Tatas cannot retrench any employee for at least a year, according to the terms of the deal.

Tata Group Founder JRD Tata had originally launched the airline in 1932 as the nation's first carrier, flying mail between Karachi in then-undivided, British-ruled India and Bombay. It was nationalised in 1953.

(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)