"Air India" The Flying Maharaja Airline

credit: third party image reference

Air India, as the name suggests is the flag bearing air fleet of India. Air India is a Government owned enterprise, Air India Limited. It operates a huge fleet of Airbuses and Boeing aircrafts, connecting about 94 Domestic and International destinations. It is the largest international carrier of India. The airline has its headquarters at New Delhi and its major base at Indira Gandhi International Airport.

credit: third party image reference

More than 60 international destinations are connected by Air India across the four continents. The airline became only the 27th member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance has a global presence and most major air fleet lines are its partners.

credit: third party image reference

The airline in reality was founded by J. R. D. Tata as the Tata Airlines in the year 1932. Tata himself flew its first single engine aircraft carrying Air mail from Karachi to Bombay's 

Juhu Aerodrome. This was at the time when Pakistan was not even formed. This route was in phase extended till Madras, currently Chennai.credit: third party image reference

After the World War II, the Tata Airline became a Public Limited Company from the Government owned Enterprise and was renamed as Air India. And thus Air India came into existence. credit: third party image reference

On 21 February 1960, it took delivery of its first Boeing 707 "Gauri Shankar" and became the first Asian and the only Indian airline to induct a jet aircraft to its fleet. Several attempts were made to privatise Air India by many ruling governments.credit: third party image reference

In May 2004, Air India launched a low cost subsidiary named Air India Express, connecting several cities of India with the Middle East and South East Asian Counties. Until 2007, Air India mainly operated on international long haul routes while Indian Airlines operated on domestic and international short haul routes. In other words Indian Airline operated on domestic routes while Air India operated on international routes. credit: third party image reference

Air India's mascot is the Maharaja, the Emperor. The logo of Air India consists of a flying swan with the wheel of Konark inside it.