Air India

Air India Limited is the national flag carrier airline of India, flying a worldwide network of passenger and cargo services. Air India is state-owned, and administered as part of the National Aviation Company of India Limited - which was created in 2007 to facilitate Air India's merger with Indian Airlines.[3] The main bases of operation of the airline are Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Air India is the 16th largest airline in Asia, serving 28 destinations worldwide, and, with its affiliated carriers, serves over 100 cities. Air India has codeshare agreements with twelve other international airlines.In 2010, Air India is expected to join Star Alliance, the world's largest airline alliance.

Air India was founded by J. R. D. Tata in 1932 as Tata Airlines, a division of Tata Sons Ltd. (now Tata Group). On 15 October 1932, J. R. D. Tata flew a single-engined De Havilland Puss Moth carrying air mail (postal mail of Imperial Airways) from Karachi's Drigh Road Aerodrome to Bombay's Juhu Airstrip via Ahmedabad. The aircraft continued to Madras via Bellary piloted by former Royal Air Force pilot Nevill Vintcent.

Following the end of World War II, regular commercial service was restored in India and Tata Airlines became a public limited company on 29 July 1946 under the name Air India. In 1948, after the Independence of India, 49% of the airline was acquired by the Government of India, with an option to purchase an additional 2%. In return, the airline was granted status to operate international services from India as the designated flag carrier under the name Air India International. On 8 June 1948, a Lockheed Constellation L-749A named Malabar Princess and registered VT-CQP took off from Bombay bound for London via Cairo and Geneva. This marked the airline's first long-haul international flight, soon followed by service in 1950 to Nairobi via Aden.

On 1 August 1953, the Government of India exercised its option to purchase a majority stake in the carrier and Air India International Limited was born as one of the fruits of the Air Corporations Act that nationalised the air transportation industry. At the same time all domestic services were transferred to Indian Airlines. In 1954, the airline took delivery of its first L-1049 Super Constellations and inaugurated services to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore.

Air India International entered the jet age in 1960 when its first Boeing 707-420, named Nandadevi and registered VT-DJJ, was delivered. Jet services to New York City via London were inaugurated that same year on 14th May 1960. On 8 June 1962, the airline's name was officially truncated to Air India. On 11 June 1962, Air India became the world's first all-jet airline.

Awards and Recognitions

• Preferred International Airline award for travel and hospitality from Awaz Consumer Awards 2006
• Best International West Bound Airline out of India for three successive years by Galileo Express TravelWorld Award
• Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative. by Galileo Express TravelWorld Award
• Best Short-Haul International Airline by Galileo Express TravelWorld Award 2008
• The Mercury Award for the years 1994 and 2003, from the International Flight Catering Association, for finest in-flight catering services.
• Amity Corporate Excellence Award instituted by the Amity International Business School, Noida, Uttar Pradesh to honour Corporates with distinct vision, innovation, competitiveness and sustenance.
• Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Award
• Dun and Bradstreet Award(D&B)- first in terms of revenue out of the top airline companies out of India
• Best South Asian Airline award by readers of TTG Asia, TTG China, TTG Mice and TTG-BT Mice China, all renowned Mice and business travel publications.
• Cargo Airline of the Year at the 26th Cargo Airline of the Year Awards
• The airline entered the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest evacuation by a civil airliner. Over 111,000 people were evacuated from Amman to Mumbai – a distance of 4,117 km, by operating 488 flights in association with Indian Airlines, from 13 August to 11 October, 1990 – lasting 59 days. The operation was carried out during Persian Gulf War in 1990 to evacuate Indian expatriates from Kuwait and Iraq.
• The Montreal Protocol Public Awareness Award was awarded to Air India by the United Nations for environmental protection, especially in the ozone layer.
• World's First All-Jet Airline- June 1962
• World's Largest Operator of Airbus A310-300
• Air India's security department became the first aviation security organisation in the world to acquire ISO 9002 certification (31 January 31 2001).
• Air India's Department of Engineering has obtained the ISO 9002 for its Engineering facilities for meeting international standards.