Vihaan.AI. That’s the name of Air India’s new strategic plan that would see the once respected flag carrier recapture some of its prestige over the next five years. Under the plan unveiled Monday, Air India aims to boost its domestic market share to 30%, “significantly grow” its international market share, and make needed improvements in the customer experience, operational reliability, and other aspects of its business, the airline said. “This is the beginning of a historic transformation for Air India,” CEO Campbell Wilson said. “Vihaan.AI is our transformation plan to make Air India the world class airline it once was, and that it deserves to be again. We are absolutely focussed on being recognized as a world-class airline serving global customers, with a proudly Indian heart.” Wilson, and his management team put in place under Tata ownership, have their work cut out for them. Since Air India was nationalized in 1953, it has languished among the globe’s state-owned airlines. In recent years, the country’s private airlines, particularly IndiGo, have dominated the domestic market. And foreign competitors, like Emirates, carry much of India’s longhaul international traffic. Air India only had an 8.5% share of the country’s domestic market — a far cry from the target 30% — from January through August, according to the latest India Directorate General of Civil Aviation data. Tata’s other airline, Vistara, which is a joint venture with Singapore Airlines — where Wilson worked before taking the helm of Air India — had a 9.2% share, and market leader IndiGo a 56% share. And internationally, Air India had just over a 13% of passengers in Q1, the DGCA’s latest data show. <br/>
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The government has initiated the process of privatising 2 subsidiaries AIASL and AIESL of erstwhile national carrier Air India, an official said. The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) has initiated investor meetings and roadshows to gauge interest in AIASL and AIESL. "We will soon invite EoIs from interested bidders," the official said. A debt-laden Air India was sold to Tata Group in October last year for Rs 18,000 crore. The actual handover to Tatas happened on January 27, 2022. However, four Air India subsidiaries -- Air India Airport Services Ltd (AIASL), Air India Engineering Services Ltd (AIESL), Alliance Air Aviation Ltd (AAAL), and Hotel Corporation of India Ltd (HCI) -- and other non-core assets, painting and artefacts, besides, non-operational assets were not part of the deal. These subsidiaries and non-core assets valued at about Rs 15,000 crore have been transferred to an SPV Air India Assets Holding Ltd (AIAHL). The government had then said these subsidiaries and non-core assets of the carrier would eventually be sold off. Towards that goal, DIPAM has initiated the exercise of investor meetings for privatisation of AIASL and AIESL.<br/>
After 16 hours in the sky, Air New Zealand's first ever direct flight to New York City arrived at JFK airport on September 17. The flight, NZ2, was first announced back in March and has been a major cornerstone of the airline's post-pandemic rebound. Its companion flight, NZ1, flies the opposite route from JFK to Auckland in about 17.5 hours. "As one of the world's greatest cities, Air New Zealand is proud to add the Big Apple to its list of 29 international destinations," Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran said in a statement, adding that the filght connects his two favorite cities in the world. New Zealand reopened to international tourists on July 31, 2022. The airline's desire to secure a slot at JFK was never a secret. When the flights were announced earlier in 2022, Foran said "Traditionally, flight numbers 1 and 2 are used for an airline's flagship route. And that's what New York will be -- our flagship route." In addition to New York, Air New Zealand flies to five other destinations in the United States, including San Francisco and Honolulu. The airline's desire to secure a slot at JFK was never a secret.<br/>When the flights were announced earlier in 2022, Foran said. "Traditionally, flight numbers 1 and 2 are used for an airline's flagship route. And that's what New York will be -- our flagship route."<br/>In addition to New York, Air New Zealand flies to five other destinations in the United States, including San Francisco and Honolulu.<br/>