2019-10-15 Tue

Pioneering a lot of “firsts”, the Tata Group adds yet another feather in its cap as on October 15th 1932, JRD Tata takes off in a Puss Moth carrying airmail from Karachi to Bombay! Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata, the father of Indian aviation and a hero of Indian business, took his passion for flying to another level by establishing India’s first commercial airline, the Tata Airlines.

Tata Airlines has a very interesting history as it went from being Tata Air Services to Tata Airlines and finally to Air India. Initially, the airline fleet that consisted of a Puss Moth aircraft and a de Havilland Leopard Moth included a weekly airmail service between Karachi and Madras via Ahmedabad and Bombay. After a few years, the airline launched its first domestic flight from Bombay to Trivandrum and more destinations were added gradually.

In 1946, Tata Air Lines went public and became a joint stock company and came to be called as Air-India. Post-Independence, the company was nationalised and was renamed as Air India International Limited. Today Air India is the flag carrier airline of India and is also the largest international carrier out of India.

The lovable red Maharajah (Emperor) that is the Air India's mascot and the logo that consists of a flying swan with the wheel of Konark inside it are icons in their own rights! The journey that started on this day, 87 years ago, has been an interesting one.

Depicted in the image beside are stamps celebrating the first flight; the stamp issued in 1979 features the Puss Moth and the stamp issued in 1982 features JRD Tata in front of the Puss Moth before his maiden airmail service flight.