Tata Sons on Thursday revealed a fresh brand identity and new aircraft livery of Air India as part of the airline's ongoing transformation efforts following its acquisition over a year and a half ago. According to the company's statement, the updated appearance takes the classic Indian window shape that Air India has traditionally used and transforms it into a gold window frame, which now plays a central role in the airline's new brand design, reported PTI. This innovative design signifies a "Window of Possibilities," the statement said.
Air India's said its new logo emblem, named 'The Vista,' draws inspiration from the apex of the gold window frame. This emblem represents boundless potential, forward-thinking, and the airline's courageous and optimistic vision for the times ahead, the company said.
The airline has also introduced a new aircraft appearance and design, characterised by a color scheme including deep red, aubergine, and gold accents, along with a pattern inspired by the chakra.
"It also boasts a striking new custom-made 'Air India Sans' font, marrying confidence with warmth to position Air India as premium, inclusive, and accessible," the release said.
During the rebranding event, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said the best of artificial intelligence and machine learning will be deployed at Air India and asserted that the airline is not just yet another business for the group, as per the PTI report. He said the focus is on upgrading all human resources aspects at the airline.
There is a lot of hard work needed but the path is clear for the airline, Chandrasekaran, who is also the Chairman of Air India said, the news agency reported.
“We are focusing on upgrading all human resources aspects of the airline. Our fleet requires a lot of work. While we have ordered one of the largest fleet orders, it will take time. In the meantime, we have to refurbish our current fleet at an acceptable level. Our aim is to have the best of machine learning and the best of AI in Air India than any other airline," Chandrasekaran said.
The new brand has been developed in collaboration with the brand transformation firm FutureBrand. Starting from December 2023, passengers will gradually encounter the fresh logo during their travel experiences, the company said. This coincides with the introduction of the new livery on the airline's inaugural A350 aircraft into its fleet, as announced by the airline.
Air India, which faced financial challenges earlier, came under the ownership of Tata Group in January 2022. Earlier this year, the airline placed an order for a total of 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, with an estimated value of $70 billion based on the listed prices. The delivery of these newly ordered aircraft will commence in November of this year.
As part of its transformative strategy, the airline intends to lease and purchase 20 wide-body aircraft this year. Additionally, an ambitious $400 million initiative to comprehensively renovate the interiors of its existing fleet of 43 widebody aircraft is scheduled to begin in the middle of the next year.
During the launch event, Airline India CEO Cambell Wilson, as per MoneyControl, said, "We have spent around $400 million to refurbish our aircraft till now. All our legacy 777 and 787 Dreamliner planes will be refitted by next year."
By March 2024, the airline aims to have upgraded 33 per cent of its wide-body fleet to align with its transformational vision.
As per the company statement the first phase of the Air India transformation plan Vihaan.AI, which focussed on "addressing legacy issues of the airline at scale and laying the foundation for future growth" has concluded. The second phase will focus on developing the platforms, processes, and systems needed to build toward excellence.