Air India’s massive makeover: What’s the new logo, what happens to the Maharaja?

Air India is getting a makeover. The Tata-owned airline has a new logo and livery, as it is looking to transform its fleet with a purchase of 470 new aeroplanes.

The familiar logo, featuring a red swan with a distinctive orange Konark Chakra, has been replaced by a new one ‘The Vista’. The Maharaja, the airline’s 77-year-old famous mascot, is not retiring yet but has been given a different role.

Air India is spending a whopping $400 million to refurbish its fleet. We take a look at what has changed and what has not.

What’s Air India’s new logo?

On Thursday, Air India unveiled its new brand identity and aircraft livery with a fresh colour palette – deep red, aubergine and gold with a chakra-inspired pattern and a new custom-made ‘Air India Sans’ font. Travellers will begin to see the new logo and design starting in December this year when the airline’s first Airbus 350 enters the fleet.

While red has been AI’s colour, aubergine is derived from Vistara, which is going to be absorbed into Air India.

Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran and CEO Cambell Wilson in New Delhi unveiled the new logo. The new logo ‘The Vista’ “captures the essence of a bold new India, which marks a milestone in its Vihaan.AI transformation”, the airline said.

“The new look reimagines the iconic Indian window shape, historically used by Air India, into a gold window frame that becomes central to the new brand design system symbolising a ‘Window of Possibilities’. Air India’s new logo symbol - ‘The Vista’ - is inspired by the peak of the gold window frame, signifying limitless possibilities, progressiveness, and the airline’s bold, confident outlook for the future,” the airline said in a press statement.

“Our transformative new brand reflects an ambition to make Air India a world-class airline serving guests from around the globe, and that represents a new India proudly on the global stage,” Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said.

“The new Air India is bold, confident, and vibrant, but also warm and deeply rooted to its rich history and traditions that make Indian hospitality a global benchmark for standards in service,” he added.

According to Wilson, one-third of the all-white body aircraft will have the new look by March 2024. By 2025, all aircraft will have the new logo. The entirely new long-haul fleet will be flying by the end of 2024.

Also read: Explained: How Air India plans to spread its wing with a massive order of 500 jets

What about the Maharaja?

The famous mascot is here to stay. “The rumours of his demise have been greatly exaggerated... the Maharaja will be there,” Wilson said. The iconic Maharaja of Air India, which was been central to Air India’s identity will live on but with added colour to its look, he added.

However, the Maharaja’s role has been altered. The presence of the potbellied mascot with his curling moustache and striped turban will be limited to the airline's first-class cabins and airport lounges rather than acting as a mascot.

“The Maharaja will live on. It has a deep connect with people over a certain age who form a significant part of the flyers. The airline wants to retain that nostalgia,” sources told the publication. The Maharaja fits in well with the airline’s efforts to project itself as a “global brand with an Indian heart”, they added.

The mascot has been part of Air India since its inception in 1946 and has become synonymous with it.

Haris Bijoor, a brand strategy specialist, told Finanicial Express, “I do believe the Maharaja is forever. It’s easy to erase the old with the new. Very few can preserve the old and make it new! AI must attempt that. In the era of hard-touch and hard-tech and hard commercial practice, the soft old mascot of yesteryears doesn’t belong to the dustbin of history. Instead, it belongs to the future.”

What’s new about the aircraft?

Air India’s Boeing 777 planes are targeted to be refitted by next year.

“We have spent around $ 400 million to refurbish our aircraft till now,” the Airline India CEO said. The first Airbus A350 wide-body plane will come to India soon, Wilson added and went on to note that all its “legacy 777 and 787 Dreamliner planes will be refitted by next year”.

In February, Air India made aviation history with the biggest aircraft order, agreeing to buy 540 aircraft from Boeing and Airbus. The purchase of short- and long-haul aircraft is estimated to cost Air India a whopping $82 billion.

Of the total 540 aircraft, 470 are firm orders, and the rest 70 are options with Boeing that Air India can exercise in the future. The 470 aircraft include 250 Airbus and 220 Boeing planes, with the first of them landing later this year.

Also read: Air India inks ‘historic’ deal with Airbus, Boeing: Why this is significant for India

What about the Air India staff?

Air India plans to hire 4200 cabin crew and 900 pilots in the year 2023 to address the shortage which has caused the cancellation of six weekly flights to the US for the last three months, reports moneycontrol.

A new compensation package for pilots and crew is on the cards. A new rostering system which, as per Wilson would increase “transparency, fairness, equity, roster stability, protection of golden offs [five-day offs on birthday and wedding anniversary] and reduce fatigue,” will also be introduced soon.

“To make Air India a globally competitive airline requires a lot of work. In the last 12 months, we have put together a strong team, and are focusing on upgrading all human resources in the airline. We are working to refurbish our current fleet to be in power with global standards,” N Chandrasekaran said.

“Our aim and job is to make Air India a truly iconic airline that every Indian will be proud of,” he added.

With inputs from agencies