Air India returns to Tata: Homecoming of Air India after over 6 decades

Govt owned airline Air India has officially been handed over to Tata Group after almost 69 years on January 27. However, the Tata group would not get to retain non-core assets like the Vasant Vihar Housing colony of Air India, Air India Building at Nariman Point, Mumbai, and Air India Building in New Delhi.

Last year, the government had sold Air India to Talace Private Limited for Rs 18,000 crore, through a competitive bidding process which is a subsidiary of the Tata Group's holding company.

Now Air India is the 3rd airline brand under the Tata group after Air Asia India and Vistara and currently, the Tata Group officials are planning to extend the new services to more flights in a phased manner.

While the "enhanced meal service" was already started on the Mumbai-Newark flight and five Mumbai-Delhi flights from Jan 27, Air India flights will not be flying under the banner of the Tata Group as of now.

The new date of flying all Air India flights under "Tata Group's banner will be announced to the employees later.

Moving on, in other words, it is the homecoming of Air India to Tata after more than 6 decades as the Tata group had set up Tata Airlines in 1932, which was later renamed Air India in 1946. But During 1953 the government took control of the airline while JRD Tata continued as the chairman till 1977.