Air India

History of Air India

Air India began with J.R.D. Tata's first flight on 15 October 1932, carrying mail from Karachi to Bombay for Tata Sons' new aviation department. The department was renamed Tata Airlines in 1938 and became Air India Ltd in July 1946. The airline was nationalised in 1953 and remained in government hands for almost 70 years.

Air India joined Star Alliance in July 2014. In a privatisation process, the Tata Group won the bid for the whole company, including Air India Express and a 50% stake in AI SATS, and took over management and control on 27 January 2022.

Under Tata ownership the group consolidated its airlines. Air India Express merged with AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India) on 1 October 2024, and Vistara, Tata's joint venture with Singapore Airlines, merged into Air India on 12 November 2024. Singapore Airlines became a 25.1% shareholder, and Club Vistara members moved into the renamed Maharaja Club. Air India has ordered 470 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft and is retrofitting older cabins.

Fleet

Aircraft types in service as of 2026

Air India's own website lists a mixed Airbus and Boeing fleet, from A320 family narrow-bodies to Boeing 777s, 787s and the A350-900, and an order for 470 new aircraft. Immediately after the Vistara merger in November 2024, the group fleet was 300 aircraft: 208 at Air India and 90 at Air India Express. Air India also took new line-fit Boeing 787-9s in 2026.

Network and hubs

Delhi is Air India's largest hub, and Mumbai is its other main base, with some group flights moving to the new Navi Mumbai airport from late 2026. The airline flies across India and internationally to North America, the UK and Europe, the Gulf, Asia and Australia.

After the Vistara merger in November 2024 the group served 55 domestic and 48 international destinations, with 312 routes and about 8,300 weekly flights. Air India Express, the group's low-cost arm, focuses on domestic routes and short international routes to the Gulf and Southeast Asia.