Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said on Saturday that Air India is not merely a business project for the Tata Group but a responsibility they are determined to honour, as the airline continues its large-scale transformation amid global aviation challenges.
Speaking at an event marking the 121st birth anniversary of JRD Tata, he highlighted both the obstacles and long-term promise of India’s aviation sector. “I firmly believe for the Tata Group, Air India is just not a business opportunity. It’s a responsibility,” he said, IANS reported. Chandrasekaran noted that the airline’s ongoing transformation has been slower than expected due to global supply-chain disruptions. “Air India is going through a major transformation, but the journey has been slower than expected because of global supply chain problems,” he said.
He pointed to shortages of aircraft parts, delays in infrastructure, and unpredictable delivery timelines for new planes as key operational bottlenecks. He added that rising costs and thin margins continue to strain the aviation sector worldwide.
Tata Group took over Air India and Air India Express in January 2022 and launched an ambitious five-year revival plan, but delays in aircraft upgrades and deliveries have pushed several targets back. Chandrasekaran said the group remains fully committed to restoring the airline’s global stature.
He also underlined the strong growth potential of India’s aviation sector, noting that a 1 per cent increase in GDP translates to nearly 2 per cent growth in domestic air travel. If India grows at around 8 per cent annually, he said aviation could expand by almost 16 per cent every year for the next three decades.
Despite the promise, he cautioned that global unpredictability continues to complicate planning. “Every plan becomes difficult because of the situations you face in this area,” he said.
Global concerns over Airbus A320 systems trigger aviation disruptions
In a separate development, air travel across India and several other countries is expected to face widespread disruption after global aviation regulators ordered immediate software updates for Airbus A320 family aircraft. The move follows concerns that solar radiation may affect critical flight-control systems—an issue experts have called “a major air crisis,” with potential consequences for safety, tourism and business travel.
The global directive was issued after Airbus detected a potential “solar radiation risk” that could corrupt data associated with vital aircraft systems. The alert covers nearly 6,000 A320-family aircraft worldwide and follows an incident involving an A320, prompting an Emergency Airworthiness Directive by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Air India begins mandatory reset; over 40% fleet already updated
Air India has clarified that it has not cancelled any flights due to the mandatory software and hardware updates issued by Airbus and EASA.
Reassuring passengers, the airline said safety remains its “top priority” and confirmed that more than 40 per cent of its A320 aircraft have already undergone the required reset. In a statement posted on X, Air India added that engineering teams have been “working round-the-clock” to complete the task within the prescribed timeline.
“Air India can confirm that there have been no cancellations due to this task, and there is no major impact on schedule integrity across our network. However, some of our flights may be slightly delayed or rescheduled,” the airline said, adding that ground teams are supporting passengers and travellers should check updated flight information before heading to airports.
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