Which airline was founded as Tata Airlines in 1932?

Air India was founded as Tata Airlines in 1932.

Tata Airlines began operations on 15 October 1932, when J. R. D. Tata flew an airmail service from Karachi to Bombay, now Mumbai, via Ahmedabad. The company was created by Tata Sons, the Indian business group founded by Jamsetji Tata.

The airline initially carried mail and passengers on regional routes. It became Air India in 1946, and the Indian government nationalised it in 1953. For many decades, Air India served as India’s principal international flag carrier.

The airline is sometimes confused with Indian Airlines, a separate state-owned domestic carrier created in 1953. Indian Airlines later merged into Air India in 2007. Tata Group regained control of Air India in 2022 after the Indian government sold the airline back to the group. The historic Tata Airlines name therefore describes Air India’s original corporate identity.