Inauguration Of Indian Airlines By Prime Minister Nehru, 1953 Photo
A rare 1953 photo captures the historic inauguration of Indian Airlines Corporation by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in Delhi. In the image, Pandit Nehru can be seen addressing the gathering, with Union Ministers Jagjivan Ram (right) and Raj Bahadur (left) also present. An Indian Airlines Vickers Viking airplane can be seen in the background.
This marked a turning point in India’s civil aviation history. India’s aviation journey had begun earlier with JRD Tata, who established the country’s first private commercial airline in 1932. That same year, Tata himself piloted the first Tata Air Services flight from Karachi to Bombay (Mumbai). Laying the foundation for commercial air travel in India. Tata Airlines soon expanded, and by 1948, it launched international flight services to London.
By 1952, India’s Planning Commission recommended the nationalization of airlines. The Parliament passed the Air Corporations Act, merging nine private airlines into two government-owned entities in 1953: Indian Airlines for domestic services and Air India for international operations. The airlines that were merged included Air India, Air Services of India, Airways (India), Bharat Airways, Deccan Airways, Himalayan Aviation, Indian National Airways, Kalinga Airlines, and Air India International.
This consolidation gave Indian Airlines and Air India a virtual monopoly in the skies. Despite the government takeover, JRD Tata was retained as the chairman of Air India and played a key role in shaping Indian aviation for over two decades. Even though his tenure was sometimes strained by political disagreements. Click photo to enlarge.
Did you know – when the airline was finally picked up again by the Tata group last year, it marked the biggest disinvestment of a government-owned asset.
From the collection – Vintage Raja Ravi Varma “Shivaji” Oleograph Print
