Air India gets makeover: new logo, aircraft livery & premium cabins

Friday newsletters always feature travel contests, tips, or news.

Today: Air India gets makeover with a new logo, aircraft livery and cabins 

Air India – a Star Alliance member – is the flag carrier of India. It’s the second largest carrier in India (after IndiGo) but it remains the largest international carrier out of India with an 18.6% market share. The airline was founded by J. R. D. Tata – an Indian aviator, industrialist, entrepreneur and chairman of Tata Group – as Tata Airlines in 1932; Tata himself flew its first single-engine de Havilland Puss Moth, carrying air mail from Karachi’s Drigh Road Aerodrome to Bombay’s Juhu aerodrome. In 1953, Air India was taken over by the government, but in 2021, the Tatas paid nearly $ 3 billion USD to buy the carrier back. Air India returned to its founders with record losses and a reputation severely dented – bad customer service, frequent delays and cancellations, and nightmarish experiences by passengers. This week, the Tata Group unveiled its new plans for Air India, which demonstrate some serious ambitions for a complete turnaround and a possible bright future.

In this article:

• Air India’s new brand identity, logo and aircraft livery
• Air India’s new guest experiences
• Revealed: Air India’s new Business and First Class cabin

What do you think about Air India’s new identity, livery and cabins? Leave a comment.

NEW BRAND IDENTITY, LOGO & AIRCRAFT LIVERY

Air India unveiled a new brand identity and aircraft livery as the airline moves ahead with its transformation plan since being taken over by Tata Group more than one-and-a-half years ago. The new look re-imagines the iconic Indian window shape, historically used by Air India, into a gold window frame that becomes central to the new brand design system. It symbolises a ‘Window of Possibilities’, according to a press release.

The logo of Air India that it used since 2014 showed a red swan with the orange Konark Chakra image on it. The airline’s new logo symbol ‘The Vista’ is inspired by the peak of the gold window frame, signifying limitless possibilities, progressiveness, and the airline’s bold, confident outlook for the future, it said in a release. The airline said the new aircraft livery and design features a palette of deep red, aubergine, purple and gold highlights as well as a chakra-inspired pattern. While red and white are Air India’s colors, the purple is taken from the livery of the airline Vistara. “It also boasts a striking new custom-made ‘Air India Sans’ font, marrying confidence with warmth to position Air India as premium, inclusive, and accessible,” the release said.

The new brand identity has been designed in partnership with the brand transformation company FutureBrand. Travelers will begin to see the new logo throughout their journey starting December 2023, when the airline’s first A350 enters the fleet in the new livery, according to the airline.

NEW GUEST EXPERIENCES

In addition to a new brand identity , Air India is also making significant investments throughout the guest experience to elevate its service and to strengthening its position as the preferred airline for travellers flying to, from, and within India:

• The carrier has confirmed historic purchase agreements to acquire 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing at around $70 billion USD (based on published list prices), with deliveries of the new aircraft starting November this year. Air India’s firm orders include 34 A350-1000, six A350-900, 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 10 Boeing 777X widebody aircraft, as well as 140 Airbus A320neo, 70 Airbus A321neo and 190 Boeing 737MAX narrowbody aircraft.
• Air India has launched its all-new inflight magazine, namaste.ai, which is now available on board all Air India domestic and international flights. A premium travel and lifestyle magazine, it reflects Air India’s vision of becoming a worldclass global airline with an Indian heart.
• Air India has launched a new website and mobile app, offering a significantly improved web experience with new digital tools and features.
• The carrier will also launch a new “open all hours, every day” customer contact center in nine Indian and foreign languages by the end of this year, as well as a completely redesigned loyalty program in early 2024 that will enable thousands of new redemption possibilities.
• The airline is investing in building completely new lounges at Delhi and New York JFK airports, having recently announced a global lounge network expansion, achieving 100 per cent lounge access coverage for premium customers at all destinations in its international route network.
• Air India has now welcomed more than 5,000 new staff, including 3,200 cabin crew and nearly 1,000 cockpit crew, who are helping to drive the cultural transformation taking place at the heart of the airline. It is also heavily investing in building one of the world’s largest aviation training academies in India that will upskill a massive number of aviation professionals.

NEW FIRST & BUSINESS CLASS CABINS

Last but not least, Air India is installing new First, Business and Economy Class cabins on its airplanes. The transformation of its fleet has already begun with the airline leasing and buying 20 widebody aircraft this year. A $ 400 million USD program to completely refurbish the interiors of its legacy fleet of 43 widebody aircraft commences mid-2024, which will lead to the installation of brand-new seats in every cabin, new inflight entertainment systems, and inflight Wi-Fi internet connectivity. By March 2024, one third of the airline’s widebody fleet will be upgraded, and over the next two-and-a-half years, its entire long-haul fleet will be reborn. Air India released a short video, which showcases the new cabins of the carrier’s reconfigured Boeing 777 aircraft (watch below):

The video reveals the following facts about Air India’s new Boeing 777 interiors:

• The First Class cabin will be a single row of suites arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. Each suite will be fully flat and will have a door.
• The Business Class seats will be arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration. The fully flat seats will have direct aisle access and a privacy door.
• The airline will install a Premium Economy Class product on its long haul fleet, with the seats arranged in a 2-4-2 layout.

*** Follow me on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter or Facebook for a daily moment of travel inspiration ***