India's oldest airline Air India on Thursday revamped its logo and the aircraft in a flamboyant ceremony in New Delhi. The Tata Group's airline has now ditched its red arched window accents for a sleeker livery that will see its tail fin painted in hues of gold, red and purple, along with a red and gold underbelly emblazoned with its name in bold.
Air India said that its fresh identity will debut on its brand new Airbus SE A350 jets coming later this year. Designed by FutureBrand, the new look will lift Air India’s ranks in world aviation, Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson said at the event.
However, Air India's new logo, including the design of the livery has received a mixed reaction from the netizens. Here's how netizens reacted to Air India's rebranding move:
Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor wrote, "We will get used to Air India's new look which has had mixed reviews".
Air India's new brand identity has been designed in partnership with the brand transformation company FutureBrand.
Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said the new logo, signified by that historically used window, the peak of the golden window, it signifies limitless possibilities, progressiveness, confidence and all of that. Travellers will begin to see the new logo throughout their journey starting December 2023. The airline aims to fly an entirely new long haul fleet by the end of 2026.
Earlier this year, Air India placed orders for 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing at $70 billion (based on published list prices). The deliveries of the new planes will start from November this year.
As part of its transformation plan, the airline is leasing and buying 20 wide-body aircraft this year. Besides, a $400 million programme to completely refurbish the interiors of its legacy fleet of 43 widebody aircraft will commence in the middle of next year.
By March 2024, the carrier expects that 33% of its wide-body fleet will be upgraded.
Tata Group took control of loss-making Air India in January 2022.
