BackMaharaja steps back as Air India takes flight with The Vista logo
The airline’s new logo, The Vista, draws inspiration from the iconic Indian window design used by the erstwhile Air India
PremiumNEW DELHI : Air India, now owned by the Tata group, unveiled a logo and aircraft livery to create a new brand image, moving away from the iconic Maharaja theme associated with its past as a state carrier.
The airline’s new logo, The Vista, draws inspiration from the iconic Indian window design used by the erstwhile Air India.
The airline said the new logo signifies limitless possibilities, progressiveness, and a bold outlook for the future. Under the new strategy, the airline has relegated the iconic Maharaja to the background, reserving its “silhouette" for aircraft crockery and glassware.
“In India, we are going to be using it (Maharaja) but a little more in the background than historically been the case. Overseas, it is not understood to the same extent as it is in India, so we have to choose more judiciously," Air India chief executive Campbell Wilson said.
The new logo has been designed in partnership with a brand transformation company called FutureBrand. The new livery features a palette of deep red, aubergine, and gold highlights, as well as a chakra-inspired pattern. The new font for Air India is also a “custom-made Air India Sans" font.
“The process of integrating Air India with Vistara is subject to regulatory approvals. But Vistara is part of the Tata group; we wanted to ensure that in any future Air India, there was a representation of erstwhile Air India and other carriers from the Tata group. It is a nice coincidence that it also carries some legacy of Vistara," he added.
In February, the airline placed one of the largest aircraft orders for 470 planes, consisting of 400 narrow-body and 70 wide-body aircraft. The airline is expected to induct two Airbus A350 from this order before December, and a total of 5-6 A350s will be in its fleet by March 2024. In fact, the new livery will first be seen on the A350 that is set to arrive before December.
The airline has also set aside an investment of $400 million for the refurbishment of 43 wide-body aircraft of the airline. The first wide-body aircraft will undergo refurbishment under this programme by mid-2024. This will include the installation of new seats, new in-flight entertainment systems, and in-flight Wi-Fi internet connectivity.
As the airline expects to induct 20 wide-body aircraft on lease, it expects an upgraded wide-body experience in 33% of its fleet by 2024 and aims to have a 100% refurbished wide-body fleet by 2025. The airline is building new lounges at Delhi and New York JFK airports to further focus on the international segment.
“Our vision is to make this airline world-class in terms of safety, technology, and customer service. This journey requires an enormous amount of work. During the last 12 months, we have put together a strong team. We are focusing on upgrading all human resource aspects," Tata Sons and Air India chairman N. Chandrasekaran said.
“Our aim is to have the best technology in the next 9-12 months. We will have the best machine learning and artificial intelligence deployed in Air India than any other airline. It is going to be a lot of hard work, but the path is clear. We know where we want to be. The new logo represents our bold vision," he added.
The new advertising campaign has been led by Prasoon Joshi-headed McCann Worldgroup India.
“It is an era where such an airline with global ambition should succeed. That’s what we demonstrated in what we presented to Air India," Joshi said.
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