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Business News/ Companies / AirAsia India unveils fourth aircraft with livery tribute to J.R.D. Tata
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AirAsia India unveils fourth aircraft with livery tribute to J.R.D. Tata

The livery of the aircraft dons an image of J.R.D. Tata with a Puss Moth, the aircraft he flew on 15 October 1932

The Pioneer, AirAsia India’s fourth plane, was unveiled at the GMR Aero Technic MRO Hanger, Hyderabad, on Saturday.Premium
The Pioneer, AirAsia India’s fourth plane, was unveiled at the GMR Aero Technic MRO Hanger, Hyderabad, on Saturday.

Mumbai: Low-fare airline AirAsia India on Saturday unveiled its fourth aircraft, the Pioneer, with a livery dedicated to J.R.D. Tata, as a mark of respect to the pioneer of civil aviation in the Indian sub-continent.

The livery of the aircraft dons an image of J.R.D. Tata with a Puss Moth, the aircraft he flew on 15 October 1932, leading to the birth of Tata Airlines Ltd and starting civil aviation in the sub-continent.

In 1946, Tata Airlines was converted into a public company and renamed as Air India Ltd. In 1953, Air India was nationalized.

AirAsia (India) Pvt. Ltd, that runs AirAsia India, is a joint venture between Malaysia’s AirAsia Bhd, Tata Sons Ltd and Arun Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace Pvt. Ltd.

The unveiling was done by AirAsia India chief executive officer Mittu Chandilya at GMR Aero Technic MRO Hanger, Hyderabad. Tony Fernandes, AirAsia group CEO; S. Ramadorai, non-executive chairman of AirAsia India; and Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons Ltd; were also present at the event.

“We wanted to celebrate the growth of AirAsia India by honouring the man without whom flying would have been impossible in India. The Tata group has shaped Indian aviation to a great extent and has been a huge support to the AirAsia India team as well. With another addition to our fleet, we will soon make flying a possibility for every Indian", Chandilya said.

In June 2014, rival airline SpiceJet Ltd had unveiled a new livery featuring crew members of SpiceJet.

Fernandes of AirAsia said the special livery of The Pioneer pays tribute to the man who pioneered aviation in India. “AirAsia shares the same passion and zeal J.R.D. Tata had towards setting up an airline in India and we will continue the legacy. AirAsia will fight those who try to protect the status quo by lobbying for antiquated rules. Indian people must be put first before those who just lobby to protect their own bottom line as opposed to competing," Fernandes said.

All private airlines in India, including IndiGo, run by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd; Jet Airways (India) Ltd; SpiceJet; and GoAir, run by Go Airlines (India) Ltd; had objected the grant of a licence to AirAsia India, arguing that a September 2012 policy change allowing foreign airlines to invest in local airlines was applicable only to existing airlines and not new ones.

Ratan Tata said J.R.D. Tata established civil aviation in India because he believed that the country and its people must benefit from what the rest of the world had.

Besides AirAsia India, Tata Sons has invested in a full-service airline Vistara.

Tata SIA Airlines Ltd, known by the brand name Vistara, is a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines Ltd with the Indian company holding 51% stake in it.

AirAsia India currently has Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Goa, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Pune in its destination network.

On 3 February, Chandilya had said that AirAsia India is expected to break even by May or June as soon as it starts flying its sixth plane. “We are already cash-flow positive. We are expecting to break even anywhere between May to June. AirAsia India will hit break even the moment we hit sixth plane," Chandilya had said.

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Published: 21 Mar 2015, 06:55 PM IST
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