A skying tribute to father of India’s civil aviation

AirAsia India on Saturday unveiled its fourth aircraft in the city on Saturday as a thanksgiving gesture to the father of Indian civil aviation, JRD Tata. Befittingly, the aircraft has been christened ‘The Pioneer’. The livery of the aircraft bears the charismatic image of JRD Tata with a ‘Puss Moth’, the aircraft the doyen flew on October 15, 1932.

On February 10, 1929, Tata obtained the first pilot licence issued in India. Subsequently, he founded the country’s first commercial airline, Tata Airlines in 1932, which in 1946 was rechristened as Air India. The jet was unveiled at the GMR Aero Technic MRO Hanger in the city by Ratan N Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons in the presence of Mittu Chandilya, CEO, AirAsia India; Tony Fernandes, group chief executive officer and S Ramadorai, non-executive chairman, AirAsia India.

Elaborating the initiative, Chandilya said, “We wanted to celebrate the growth of AirAsia India by honouring the man without whom flying would have been impossible in India. The Tata Group shaped Indian aviation to a great extent and has been a huge support to the AirAsia India team as well. We take pride in launching our fourth aircraft by reliving the magic of JRD Tata. With another addition to our fleet, we will soon make flying, a possibility for every Indian.”

Fernandes said, “'The Pioneer' pays tribute to the man who pioneered aviation in India and whose passion is shared by all of us. It is our avowed commitment to continue the great legacy. Indian people must be put first before those who just lobby to protect their own bottom line as opposed to competing.

This is the perfect homage to honor the Tatas and celebrate our partnership." The Tata scion said, “my father was a visionary and a true-blue Indian. He envisioned civil aviation because he wished every Indian benefits from what the rest of the world did. I am happy that AirAsia India is paying a tribute to him and I am a part of this momentous occasion.