Air India is all set to retire its beloved Maharajah mascot, an iconic figure that has been part of the airline’s brand since 1946. The decision comes as the airline gears up for a sensational revamp following its takeover by the esteemed Tata Group in January last year.
According to a report by the Economic Times, though bidding farewell to the Maharajah, the airline will continue using its image at airport lounges and premium classes.
“Air India wants to become the carrier of choice for people flying in and out of India,” said a person aware of the development.
“A large section of the fliers will be business travellers, corporate executives. Maharajah , who wears a turban and has an outsized moustache, though a very successful story, doesn’t resonate anymore with these kinds of customers. It has also been maligned, repurposed multiple times,” he said before adding that no modern global airline has a mascot.
The report added that Air India will soon get a new livery with red white and purple. While red and white have been Air India’s colours for long, the purple will be derived from the livery of Vistara, part of the consolidated Tata Group’s airline business.
The prints of changes are set to be visible on the Airbus 350 aircraft that Air India is set to induct into its fleet in November.
Air India’s rebranding is being overseen by London-based brand and design consultancy firm FutureBrand which has also worked on revamping American Airlines and Bentley.
People close to the development told the portal that the new branding is to be unveiled next month with a blanketing of print and electronic media.
Struggling with debt, Air India was taken over by the Tata Group after the Central Government’s proposal of disinvestment in the airline. The Tata Group submitted the highest bid of Rs 18,000 crore as the airline’s enterprise value against a reserve price of Rs 12,906 crore.
Since the takeover by Tata Group last year, Air India has been working to bring in several changes. This includes a plan to refurbish its cabin with new seats and replace the older aircraft with new ones in phases.
Comments
0 comment