In a recent interview with ET, Satya Ramaswamy said Air India expects to catch up with global leaders such as: united airlines By April this year, it had partnered with Singapore Airlines. Hassle-free booking, Real-time updates, multilingual support, and improved accessibility for people with disabilities. He said the airline’s website handles 1 million visits a month and will be at the forefront of these enhancements.
The aero-automotive conglomerate has been grappling with a variety of challenges since taking over the airline from the government. These include a bloated workforce, outdated products, a 20-year-old technology-based website, white-labeled mobile applications, and aging vehicles not connected to digital databases.
Air India’s technological breakthrough
To identify areas for improvement, Ramaswamy’s team carefully recorded passenger complaints over several months. As a result, the mobile His application provides passengers with the ability to track the status of the aircraft assigned to their flight, reducing anxiety while waiting for arrival.
Ramaswamy said United Airlines already offers similar capabilities.
Recently, Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurated India and Air India’s first Airbus A350 (VT-JRA) at Wings India 2024. Air India is expected to receive six A350s by May. These aircraft will begin commercial service on domestic routes from January 22, 2024, before moving to international routes. This is a standard procedure for a new type of aircraft to enter service in a country in accordance with regulatory requirements.
The A350 is powered by powerful, fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines and has a range of up to 9,700 nautical miles (18,000 km), facilitating direct flights from India to North America and Australia.
Air India’s A350-900 accommodates 316 seats in a three-class cabin configuration, including 28 business class ‘private suites’ with direct aisle access and sliding privacy doors.