Tata Sons chairman reaches out to AI staff, hints at 'golden age'

Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekharan has reached out to the Air India family with a big welcome on a day the corporate giant took over the airline from the government. In a letter addressed to "members of the Air India family", Chandrasekharan said he is "convinced that the golden age of Air India lies ahead."

New Delhi:Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekharan has reached out to the Air India family with a big welcome on a day the corporate giant took over the airline from the government. In a letter addressed to "members of the Air India family", Chandrasekharan said he is "convinced that the golden age of Air India lies ahead."

"Our journey towards it starts now. Welcome and Welcome back," he said of the airline founded in 1932 under the name, Tata Airlines, by family scion and aviation enthusiast JRD Tata.

"I have learned that to preserve what is best about the past, requires constant change. It is by evolving, adapting, and embracing the future that we best honor a glorious history... The entire nation's eyes are on us, waiting to see what we will achieve together. To build the airline our country needs, we need to look to the future," the Tata Sons Chairman said in the letter.

The Tata Sons Chairman met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day. The Union government officially handed over Air India to the Tata Group on Thursday after nearly 69 years.

Tata group's holding company Talace Pvt Ltd bought Air India for ₹ 18,000 crores after it outbid a consortium led by SpiceJet chief Ajay Singh.

Actually, Air India was started by the Tata Group in 1932. However, after the country got independence, the airline was nationalized in 1953 by the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

"From the day of the announcement (October 8, 2021), one word has been on everyone's lips: homecoming," Chandrasekaran noted and added, "Today is the beginning of a new chapter... I write this letter on behalf of the Tata Group, to welcome you to our family," the Tata Sons chairman said.

He also said like many others, he enjoyed reflecting on stories from Air India's brilliant past. "My first flight was with Air India in December 1986, and I will never forget how special it felt to be on board or the exhilaration as we soared into the sky."

Such memories are wonderful but now is the time to look ahead, he noted and stated that he is convinced that the golden age of Air India lies ahead.