Air India: New crew uniforms, website just the latest as big makeover gains steam

The latest signs of a major transformation at India's flagship airline are taking shape.

Air India unveiled a new website and mobile app Monday, overhauling its digital platform with a new design and, in the company's words, a faster, more seamless and intuitive booking process.

If you pull up the airline's website now, you'll find the updated site.

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Even at first glance, the interface certainly seems to be a more modernized site than the one it replaced.

The move is just the latest series in a flurry of changes — both aesthetic and substantive — that the carrier has in the works.

For instance, just last week, Air India revealed all-new uniforms for its pilots and cabin crew members. Designed by prominent Indian fashion designer Manish Malhotra, the uniforms incorporate the new logo and brand design the company unveiled in August.

"It perfectly captures the essence of our new identity, service principles, and our pursuit of setting new benchmarks in global aviation," Air India CEO and managing director Campbell Wilson of the changes in a statement.

But that "new identity" Wilson mentioned goes far beyond uniforms or logos.

A much larger transformation

Air India is in the midst of a top-to-bottom transformation — one that, executives hope, will position the airline as a serious contender on the global aviation stage — particularly as India's population, now the largest in the world, continues to grow, as does its prominence in the global economy.

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After years marred by poor operational performance, spotty service and financial losses under the control of the Indian government, the Tata Group, a Mumbai-based conglomerate, acquired the airline in 2022.

Air India's new private owners have promised a complete rebuild, and their early steps have been striking.

470 aircraft on order

At the Paris Air Show this past summer, Air India firmed up $70 billion in aircraft orders that will see the carrier acquire 470 planes from Boeing and Airbus. The move was billed at the time as the largest set of aircraft orders in history.

The deals include orders for 40 Airbus A350 aircraft, 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, 10 Boeing 777X jets, and 400 narrow-body aircraft between the two manufacturers.

By 2026, Air India expects to completely replace its fleet of wide-body jets.

However, its first A350 should be ready to fly much sooner — perhaps in the coming days, in fact.

Earlier this fall on X (formerly known as Twitter), the company shared a glimpse of its first A350 adorned with the airline's new livery shortly after it received a paint job at Airbus' facilities in Toulouse, France.

Other changes planned for 2024

As part of its overhaul, the carrier has hired more than 8,000 new staff since the Tata Group took over, including 1,000 pilots. Notably, of the carrier's 2,400 total pilots, 18% are female, which Air India claims is the highest rate of female pilots in the industry.

A member of the Star Alliance, Air India is also promising an overhauled loyalty program to be unveiled in early 2024, and new, future lounges in Delhi and at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).

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