Air India rebuilding will take a decade, says Tata chief

New Delhi: Air India’s transformation journey must be seen as a five- to ten-year journey considering the years-long supply chain disruptions in key components, the need to overhaul the legacy systems, culture, fleet and creation of a large cadre of airline professionals, according to Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran. While mentioning that significant progress has been made in the transformation journey, he said every great airline in history was built over decades, not quarters. Chandrasekaran also said the airline faced three external headwinds in the 2025-26 financial year.

“Air space closures; West Asia conflict-driven fuel price hikes and foreign exchange fluctuations; and the crash of AI171 made it the most challenging year for Air India.