Can Tata Group turnaround jaded Air India?

Remember, those airlines would grab the market share that give best service to their customers. That is the key and only mantra to get success. Those who fail to give good service, would perish. Those who matter in Bombay House would know this fact quite well

The Bombay House in Mumbai would be seeing a flurry of activities in the coming days as the Tata Group is all set to take over and operate Air India by January 23. The salt-to-steel behemoth Tata Group's companies have offices in Bombay House, a historic privately-owned building in the city of Mumbai that serves as the head office of the Tata Group since decades. Hopefully, the transfer of power would not see further roadblocks. Tata Group took over Air India from the government at a bid of Rs18,000 crores. Agreed, Tata group is a hallowed brand in India and many other countries where it has subsidiaries. But, it will have to make serious efforts to change the work culture of Air India. The airline is in an extremely bad state and Tata Group will have to invest heavily to make it a world class airline.

Allow me to say, the staff of Air India working in different airports look tired, jaded and weary, absolutely unwilling to work. This is the situation I have observed even after it was taken over by the Tata group. The food they are serving in their flights are absolutely abysmal. Trust me, I would not have believed had I have not tasted their offerings in Mumbai to Delhi and Delhi to Banaras flights as recently as couple of weeks ago. One hardly sees any urgency and fire in their staff on the ground or on air to deliver. They still believe as they work for some government organisation with nothing to prove. Will the managers of Tata group revive the Air India with these staff? One hopes that the staff would prove people like me wrong soon.

Surely,it would be a challenge for Ratan Tata, the chairman emeritus, and N Chandrasekhar, the group Chairman, and their team to make ailing Air India as a respectable airlines.The real battle for the Tata Group starts now as they have to compete with highly motivated staff of other airlines. Can Air India staff match to energy level of private airlines? There are reports that Tata Group may take the services of its Vistara partner Singapore Airlines (SIA) to train staff at Air India to help improve service standards of the national carrier. Singapore Airlines may also help bring in best practices in passenger management and customer relations. That has to be done if Air India has to regain its pre-eminent position. In this cut-throat competition, Air India will make a dent only if it provides good service to their passengers.

Even though, the D-day is coming fast when Air India would become part of the Tata group, it is still not clear whether Air India head office would remain in Delhi or Mumbai. Currently, it is in Delhi's Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Road. It is in the heart of national capital. The Air India head office building is not a massive building. Yes, it is a very lovely building. This building known as 'Airlines House' has been serving the head office of Air India since year 2013. Actually, it used to be the head-office of Indian Airlines as well. After it was merged with Air India, the government decided to make it as the head office of Air India. Airlines House is a pale shadow of gigantic Air India building at the busy Nariman Point in Mumbai. It is said that during the negotiations for buying the ailing Air India, the Tata Group officials made a valiant effort to convince the government to hand over the 23- storey Air India building. They,however, failed. Air India building served as the corporate headquarters for the Air India, up to 2013. There are at least 10,800 square feet of space on each floor of the building. Even after Air India head office was shifted to New Delhi, it still retains the 21st, 22nd and 23rd floors in the building that was designed by John Burgee of America. Situated on Marine Drive, facing the Arabian Sea, the Air India building is a landmark on Mumbai's skyline with the airline's trademark centaur icon on its top. Sadly for the Tata group, it could not get ownership of it in the deal. Tata Consultancy Service (TCS), the cash rich company of Tata group has some offices operating from here. Now, it looks that for now Air India head office would remain in Delhi.

Meanwhile, notwithstanding the impact that Covid has on aviation sector, one has to accept the fact that Indian aviation sector will only grow. More and more people would travel by air. That is the reason that companies and people with deep pockets are investing here. Ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed aviation venture SNV Aviation, has also received a no-objection certificate from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to start operating its low-cost carrier by the summer of next year. Jhunjhunwala has roped in aviation industry veterans such as former Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube and ex-IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh to run the airline Akasa Air, with its low fares, will challenge market leader IndiGo,and other low-cost carriers SpiceJet and Go First. So, it is a very exciting time for the aviation sector. Remember, those airlines would grab the market share that gives best service to their customers. That is the key and only mantra to get success. Those who failed to give good service, they would perish. Those who matter in Bombay house would know this fact quite well.

(The author is a Delhi-based journalist who closely follows South Asia, business, Delhi and Indian Diaspora)