Air India is India’s Pride and one of the most successful airlines in history and has been a support system to the Government when it came to evacuations and emergencies. Whenever there’s been a crisis, the people of India had a stern belief that the Maharaja would come and give them the gateway to their motherland, the airline has continued to keep this belief and fate in them alive. With a modest start, to being the Maharaja of Indian Airlines. This is the story of Air India and its valiant incidents of evacuation.
The History And The Present Of Air India
The airline began its operations in 1932, started by the iconic Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata or as popularly known as JRD Tata. In its initial days, it was called Tata Airlines and was started with two single-engine aircraft – De Havilland Puss Moth. After independence, the Indian Government nationalized the airline and for 4 decades it has been a priced possession for the Indian Govt. Despite its small start, it is now the third-largest airline in India in terms of domestic market share and as Per 27th January 2022, it is now owned by Tata Group.
It mainly operates a fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft connecting from various domestic and international airports and connecting millions of Indians throughout the world. The main headquarter of Air India is in the Indian Airlines House in New Delhi. Other main hubs of Air India are at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, and Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai, and secondary hubs of the airline are at Chennai International Airport, Chennai, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata.
Fleet Of Air India:
With a fleet of 153 aircraft, which includes 49 wide-body aircraft manufactured by Boeing and Airbus. Air India has the 2nd biggest Aircraft fleet. And the whole fleet needs to be well kept and for doing this the entire crew and aeronautical engineers work tirelessly. This fleet includes planes such as :
Airbus A319-100 – 22 Aircrafts
Airbus A320-200 – 9 Aircrafts
Airbus 320neo – 27 Aircrafts
Airbus A321-200 – 20 Aircrafts
Boeing 747-400 – 4 Aircrafts
Boeing 777-200LR – 3 Aircrafts
Boeing 777-300ER -13 Aircrafts
Boeing 787-8 – 27 Aircraft
Air India Comes In Rescue:
Air India has been a big relief for the Government of India when it comes to the evacuation of Indians from foreign countries during crisis periods for over the decades. Be it wars or pandemics, the airline has always stepped up and brought back Indians safely to their Motherland.
It also holds the world record for the largest evacuation of people by a commercial airliner. The recognition came for its evacuation of more than 1 lakh people from Kuwait following the attack on the country by Iraq in 1990.
Take a look at some other massive evacuation done by Air India-
- In May 1994: Special flights were operated for Stranded Indians In Yemen during War.
- In September 1996: Air India did an Operation called ‘Operation Amnesty Airlift’ to bring back Indians stranded in Saudi Arabia Because of amnesty.
- In October 1997: It evacuated stranded Indians who left Saudi Arabia before the amnesty deadline expired.
- In March 2011: During the turmoil in Egypt, the airlines airlifted 11,325 Indians from Cairo.
Even during the outbreak of Coronavirus, Air India accomplished the massive task of Airlifting and evacuating all the Indians Stranded in Wuhan, China.
And how can someone forget the exceptional task Air India accomplished when it saved people stuck in the Ukraine-Russia war, In February 2022, Air India operated 4 flights to bring back stranded Indians from war-torn Ukraine via Romania and Hungary and showed valor as the airline accomplished this amid a strict “no-flying zone”. The mission was named “Operation Ganga”. Till now Air India has brought back 688 Indians and thus proved again, how it will always be a bejeweled crown in India’s Airline History for evacuation.
Future of Air India
Currently under the leadership of Tata Group; it can be safely said that Air India is under safe management. And it can also be assured that with proper management Maharaja will Be the King again in the Indian Airlines Industry. And in any crisis will always be ready to serve Indians. Mad4India feels proud to write the story of Air India and expresses our gratitude towards the service of the airlines at times of need.
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