Air India has completed the first phase of its five-year transformation programme known as Vihaan.AI. The first phase, Taxi, focused on addressing legacy issues and laying the foundation for future growth. The airline is now moving on to the second phase, Take Off, which is focused on developing the platforms, processes and systems needed to build towards excellence.
“The first six months of our transformation journey has engaged and united Air Indians behind a common cause, and made great strides in tackling many issues that had built up over the years,” said Campbell Wilson, CEO & Managing Director, Air India. “During this Taxi phase, we have also come a long way in establishing foundations for growth. Our record-setting aircraft order, the commitment of $400 million to completely refurbish existing aircraft, the investment of $200 million in new IT, and the recruitment of literally thousands of staff are but a few of the significant investments being made to restore Air India to the upper echelons of global aviation. As we move into our Take Off phase, we will start seeing these investments bear fruit. All Air Indians are very grateful to partners and supporters as we continue this journey.”
The Take Off phase will also witness the consolidation of the group airlines AirAsia India and Air India Express. The LCC entity has successfully merged their core reservations platform, websites, and customer-facing systems. Vistara will also be merged with Air India, following the grant of regulatory approval.
Vihaan.AI, which in Sanskrit signifies the dawn of a new era, has a detailed roadmap for Air India with clear milestones focusing on dramatically growing both its network and fleet, developing a completely revamped customer proposition, improving reliability and on-time performance, and taking a leadership position in technology, sustainability, and innovation, while aggressively investing behind the best industry talent. The plan is aimed at putting Air India on a path to sustained growth, profitability, and market leadership.
