The Maharaja wins

Category : Best Westbound Airline
Winner : Air India

V K Verma Commercial Director, Air India

It is very reassuring that the customer trusts Air India implicitly because of which we have been awarded for the category of the Best Westbound Airline for the third year in succession. We are committed to ensuring that the flyers' experience with Air India gets better every year.

We, at Nariman Point, are currently dressing up the Maharaja. The old fleet will be slowly phased out and the new ones bought in. As the new aircraft join our fleet, we will add a new dimension to our service. By 2011, Air India's aim is to be amongst the top five airlines of the world. Going with Air India's major merger with Indian, Air India is coming up with a brand new image which would include developing a signature tone for which we are in talks with a leading music composer.

Three major brands will be under the Air India umbrella - the main airline Air India, the budget airline Air India Express, and its cargo-handling subsidiary Air India Cargo (AIC). The growth in the cargo segment has been 25 per cent compared to the 10-12 per cent in the passenger segment. AIC is also in constant dialogue with the customs for separate warehouses for domestic and international cargo and is examining markets such as the United States, Europe and China. The level of exports and imports have equalised to an extent, thus resulting in a boost in revenues and more dedicated freighters being introduced in the market. Air India Express will be doubling its fleet to 25 aircraft next year from the 13 aircraft it operates right now. Today, Express' fleet of seven owned and seven leased aircraft operates over a hundred flights a week from ten Indian cities.