To every single one of you, on behalf of the entire management team I extend the deepest gratitude for the hard work you have put in over this past year. I would especially like to acknowledge our erstwhile Air Indians who have experienced probably the most significant period of change in your entire working lives, with all the trepidation, uncertainty and adjustment that this entailed. And to all of you, whether “old” or “new”, I thank you for coming together behind this mission of national importance so quickly and constructively.
Together, we have embarked upon one of the most ambitious turnarounds in international aviation history. We have set out to create an airline that ranks amongst the best in the world, and will proudly represent the new India on the global stage. And we have made quite remarkable progress in a very short space of time, as the infographic below shows.
Even as we work on improving Air India, we have not shied away from other ambitious actions, such as merging Air India Express with Air Asia, or Vistara with Air India, or kicking off the establishment of a new InfoTech Centre, or an Aviation Academy. And that’s not to mention our much talked-about short- and-medium term fleet expansion.
Taken together, the progress over the last 12 months has been nothing short of stunning, even if so much of what we have been working on has been behind the scenes, building platforms and capabilities so that our future ambitions can take flight. There is of course much more that needs to be done, and everyone – internally and externally – is hungry for us to do it.
Transforming any organization entails deep cultural shifts, which is why we have put such a high priority on communicating with you, and on improving policies, practices and support systems, not just benefits. Fostering integrity, accountability, collaboration and trust are keys to future success, and must be guiding lights. We will continue to communicate and roll out new things, being clear about the rising expectations we must all meet, how these relate to you and how we will support. Air India is on a journey to greater heights, and we want all of you to rise with it.
As we step into year two of Air India 2.0, we acknowledge that in any project of scale, there will be challenges along the way. More than our successes, it is how we respond to our lapses these that will define us.
Very few other brands had the privilege of being beloved by an entire nation. We will now, through our sustained hard work, do our utmost to deliver on our promise to be the best carrier India has ever seen, and as our founders envisioned. Together, with one eye on the horizon, we can and we shall.
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