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Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday during a planned trip to London Gatwick, killing more than 200 passengers, according to Indian media sources.
Here are some facts regarding the airline's extensive history:
Founded in 1932
Entrepreneur JRD Tata founded Air India in 1932, which was later taken over by the Indian government in 1953. Years of mismanagement and increased competition under the government resulted in the carrier's increasing indebtedness.
Tata Group acquired the airline's operations in a $2.2 billion transaction in 2022 and has since attempted to recover its fortunes.
Fleets and routes
Air India now operates flights to 43 domestic and 41 overseas destinations. As of May, it operated 191 aircraft, including a mix of narrow- and wide-body types from Airbus and Boeing.
It is now the only airline in the country that operates nonstop flights to long-haul destinations such as Australia, Europe, and North America.
Its low-cost subsidiary, Air India Express, operates flights to 55 locations in India and internationally, with a concentration on the Middle East.
Mega merger
In November, Tata Group amalgamated Air India and Air India Express with its existing operators Vistara and AIX Connect to become India's second-largest airline group behind IndiGo.
Air India amalgamated with Vistara, while Air India Express merged with AIX Connect. The airlines hold around 30% of India's domestic aviation sector.
Singapore Airlines, which began full-service airline Vistara with the Tatas, owns 25% of the merged Air India Group.
Record Airbus and Boeing orders
In February 2023, Air India placed the world's largest aircraft order, totaling 470 planes from Airbus and Boeing.
In December of last year, Airbus placed an additional order for 100 planes.
According to Reuters, Air India is in negotiations with Airbus and Boeing over a big new aircraft contract that would include around 200 more single-aisle planes.
A multimillion-dollar retrofit
In mid-2023, the firm debuted a new logo, branding, and airplane livery.
It has launched a $400 million repair and retrofitting plan for its aircraft interiors, which has been hampered by supply chain delays.
The airline has renovated the majority of its single aisle Airbus A320 neo aircraft and is preparing to update its long-haul Boeing 777 and 787 jets.
