Aiming high is a prerequisite to success. Those who think small, don’t go too far. All successful businessmen have in them the killer instinct and they show the drive to turn adversities to advantage. These are sadly lacking in government-owned business enterprises or the public sector undertakings that mostly end up in losses due to poor management – meaning a mix of bureaucrats and political bosses and their vested interests. The way India’s flag-carrier Air India was brought to its depths by freewheeling political bosses – in the form of civil aviation ministers and inept bureaucrats needs no special elaboration. Much of AI’s saga until the Tata Group took over in 2022 is public knowledge. Impressively, Air India has placed a mind-boggling order for purchase of new aircrafts – 470 of them from Boeing and Air India; cited to be the largest-ever order in one go. The occasion was the 14th edition of India’s largest aerospace and defence exhibition held for five days this week in Bengaluru.
Notably, Air India that started its operations 76 years ago or around the time of Independence flies to over 70 international destinations and 100 domestic airports, and yet struggled in the past due to inept management and resultant lack of passenger patronage. On the other hand, Emirates Airlines, one of the two aviation firms in the UAE that started its operations 37 years ago, is today reaching out to over 150 cities and is impressively patronized. Air India’s struggle was such that even payment of salary to staff was in serious jeopardy in the years running up to its privatization; it finally having gone back into the hands of the Tatas that had founded the airline 90 years ago and then handed it over to the first government of Independent India. Those who have travelled by AI in recent years knew that even take-off was unpredictable as last-minute cancellations were frequent. It could have been a technical snag or the lack of pilots to fly the aircraft. Worse, the bureaucratic styles of the crew, including heavy-weight air hostesses, had to be seen to be believed whereas the air hostesses on flights of other airlines were generally on a charm offensive. The UPA periods, a time when corruption at top levels was high, nearly sounded the death-knell of Air India as a lot of vested interests crept in. The ministry having gone into the hands of a regional political force like the NCP meant an utter lack of commitment to Air India’s well-being. Private airlines from abroad bribed their way through profitable international routes. These, though, are old stories now. The Tatas have truly turned around a loss-making concern and that’s phenomenal!
