Mumbai: On the afternoon of October 15, 1932, the Postmaster of Bombay and other dignitaries assembled in the city’s Juhu area to welcome a tiny Puss Moth aircraft carrying post from Karachi.
Piloted by J R D Tata, the flight had a historical significance — it was the first such mail service by an Indian company, and it laid the foundation of Air India.
Eight decades later, it will be another historic event when the Airbus A320 aircraft of Vistara, the full-service joint venture of Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, takes off on its maiden flight — from Delhi to Mumbai — on Friday afternoon. This will mark Tatas’ re-entry in the airline business after over six decades. Though the Tatas own a 30 per cent stake in AirAsia India as well, they are far less involved in its operations.
An airline’s birth is a result of passion and enterprise, often not without its challenges and ordeals. And, Tata-run airlines are no exception.
In the mid-90s, the Tata group made many unsuccessful attempts to launch an airline in partnership with Singapore Airlines.
Vistara, too, encountered a few minor bumps in its pre-launch stage, with private airlines lobbying against its approval, and delays in securing permit. The Federation of Indian Airlines, which represents almost all domestic airlines, went to court saying the new policy allowed foreign airlines to invest in existing carriers, while Vistara was a start-up. The government rejected the opposition.
07/01/15 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard
Piloted by J R D Tata, the flight had a historical significance — it was the first such mail service by an Indian company, and it laid the foundation of Air India.
Eight decades later, it will be another historic event when the Airbus A320 aircraft of Vistara, the full-service joint venture of Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, takes off on its maiden flight — from Delhi to Mumbai — on Friday afternoon. This will mark Tatas’ re-entry in the airline business after over six decades. Though the Tatas own a 30 per cent stake in AirAsia India as well, they are far less involved in its operations.
An airline’s birth is a result of passion and enterprise, often not without its challenges and ordeals. And, Tata-run airlines are no exception.
In the mid-90s, the Tata group made many unsuccessful attempts to launch an airline in partnership with Singapore Airlines.
Vistara, too, encountered a few minor bumps in its pre-launch stage, with private airlines lobbying against its approval, and delays in securing permit. The Federation of Indian Airlines, which represents almost all domestic airlines, went to court saying the new policy allowed foreign airlines to invest in existing carriers, while Vistara was a start-up. The government rejected the opposition.
07/01/15 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard
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