Tata welcomes Air India back home; interline deals with African carriers to strengthen
India’s Tata Sons has won the bid for Air India, the country’s national carrier.
October 01, 2021: India’s Tata Sons has won the bid for Air India, the country’s national carrier, as reported by Bloomberg.
Founded by JRD Tata in the 1930s as Tata Air Services later known as Tata Airlines, the airline was controlled by the government with a 49 percent stake after 1947, pushing it later into debt.
Meanwhile, the government of India denied the media reports on AI disinvestment.
Media reports indicating approval of financial bids by Government of India in the AI disinvestment case are incorrect. Media will be informed of the Government decision as and when it is taken. pic.twitter.com/PVMgJdDixS
Sharing his comments on this exciting news, Nairobi-based Astral Aviation’s CEO and founder, Sanjeev Gadhia, said, “We look forward to exploring new interline opportunities for air cargo between Air India and Astral Aviation which will enhance network optimisation and connectivity between India and Africa.”
He further congratulated the Tata Group, Air India and the government of India, and said that Astral is looking forward to the continuing cooperation.
On March 31, Astral carried 360,000 doses of vaccines to Aden via Nairobi. The shipment was handled by Air India from Mumbai to Nairobi. Later on, several shipments of vaccines were deployed to Nairobi through Air India, onward by Astral to other African countries.
In January this year, Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) and Air India announced an interline agreement to boost connectivity for their customers.