Devastating tragedy threatens carrier’s ambitious turnaround

Days after the india-171 air devastating crash killed at least 270 peopleInvestigators around the world come together to discover what has turned badly. So far, there is no indication of the place where the fault is, and it could take months before having an answer.

But at the start of the waiting game, the Tata group – which owns the airline with other emblematic brands such as Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley Tea – confronts a litany of unprecedented challenges at a critical time of the ambitious reversal of the carrier.

The story was just starting to change for Air India in the performance of the tragedy.

In the hands of a new private owner – the Tatas bought the airline from the government in 2022 – Air India showed operating profit, better income and fewer customer complaints.

Although dissatisfaction with bad service standards, internal dysfunctional entertainment and theft delays were not entirely left, there was an understanding that these are insignificant transition problems while the airline undertook several complex mergers to rationalize its operations.

Cosmetically, improvements were also starting to show itself; NEW SLICH LIGROR AND INTERIERS remotely remarked by AVERCONS, new A-350 fleet deployed on key routes and a record order so that the new planes retire and serve the booming aviation market of India.

After years of negligence when Air India was under the property of the state, the Tatas said earlier this year that they had undertaken in the “final rise sentence” of the carrier’s transformation trip to a “world class” airline.

Last week’s horrible crash has now thrown a shadow on these plans.

“I will never steal Air India again” was a common chorus heard among the people seized by panic and fear last week. While India, and in particular the Dreamliners he stole, have a solid security file, this instinctive reaction was to expect, according to experts, when an accident on this scale occurs. This loss of confidence of passengers could derail the recovery efforts which were already underway.

A series of other incidents reported this month – including engines developing suspicious technical hooks and a threat of bomb on the cannular aboard a plane carrying 156 Passengers from Phuket to Delhi – could worsen things.

“There will certainly be a short -term impact where people could be wary of flying Air India. The disaster has been very tragic, many lives have been lost and the event will remain in the memory of people for a long time,” said Jitetra Bhargava, former executive director of the airline.

“We already hear cancelled reservations,” the founder and analyst at Endau Analytics, based in Malaysia, told BBC Shukor Yusof.

“Air India was a hard flag carrier to turn around, to start, bogged down by inheritance and financial problems. [the turnaround] will probably take more time than management had not envisaged it. “”

Many resources will now have to be redirected to non -operational problems dealing with the accident, such as insurance, legal and reputation damage in the weeks, months and years to come, explains Mr. Yusof.

Draw parallels with the unprecedented twin tragedies That Malaysia Airlines underwent in 2014, he said that it had taken a complete decade for the airline to achieve a profit after these accidents.

Air India will need time to “heal” too, he said, while the advantage of the exceptional growth of plane trips to India “can now go to its rivals”.

The pressure on operations is already starting to show itself. Air India said that it cancels international services on its 15% wide corps planes until mid-July in the midst of improved safety inspections and increasing restrictions on airspace.

Meanwhile, the survey – and what it potentially vomits – will continue to stay on the airline.

Authorities in the United Kingdom, the United States and India supervising various security inspections and regulatory aspects of the survey, the airline will be under intense global control, according to Mark Martin, aviation expert.

“Questions will be raised on operational and maintenance problems, and what Air India has done to repair its old fleet,” he said.

The most critical step after any crisis is the action of recovery and coherent communication around him, explains Mitu Samar Jha, whose company offers risk and reputation councils to companies and business leaders in Mumbai. And Air India will have to make sure it is not mistaken.

In a sense, it is a triple blow for the tatas, which have the difficult work to ask questions about the fleet which they inherited after having acquired Air India of the government, for the continuous problems of Boeing and their standards of maintenance and security, she says.

“Surveys to identify the cause, corrective measures and improved security standards will soon follow, but from the reputation objective, I hope they communicate regularly and that too authentic,” said Ms. Jha.

Often, companies focus a lot on action after the crisis, but “cannot regularly update the broader world on progress. This results in the formation of incorrect perspectives and the loss of control over the story, aggravating the loss of reputation,” she adds.

But Air India hopes to be able to sail in this crisis from a position of strength.

The CEO of the Campbell Wilson carrier has highlighted the airline’s commitment to cooperate with investigators and support the families of the victims.

Earlier this week, the president of the Tata group, N Chandrasekaran, held a meeting of the town hall with employees asking them to remain resolved in the midst of criticism, reported Reuters. He said that last week’s plane accident was the “most heartbreaking” crisis in his career and that the airline should use it as a catalyst to build a safer airline.

The airline has some of the “best pilots and engineers” in the world Sanjay Lazar, an aviation consultant told the BBC. In addition, Improved safety inspections Ordered by the India regulator on all 787 Dreamliners of the carrier should be a moral booster for worried passengers.

“History indicates that post-accident accidents and emergencies, airlines become ultra cautious, it is the human trend. It is like an owner after a burglary, add tons of locks. [standard operating procedure]Said Mr. Lazar.

Tatas can also comfort themselves to have Singapore Airlines (SIA) as an actionary and partner – widely considered one of the best airlines in the world.

SIA could help “help Nurst Air India go healthy,” said Yusof.

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