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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

AI’s Maharaja smiles joyfully

All 30 grounded aircrafts now fly Mumbai : Air India’s Maharaja is all pleased as punch at 80. After years of huge costs and efforts, the last of the grounded 30 aircraft – inherited by the Tata Group during the privatization in Jan. 2022 – is now resurrected fully and took to the skies gracefully on Monday.   The aircraft is the gleaming VT-ALL, a Boeing 777-300ER, that was gathering grime since February 2020, and becomes the final among the two-and-half dozen aircraft that have been revved...

AI’s Maharaja smiles joyfully

All 30 grounded aircrafts now fly Mumbai : Air India’s Maharaja is all pleased as punch at 80. After years of huge costs and efforts, the last of the grounded 30 aircraft – inherited by the Tata Group during the privatization in Jan. 2022 – is now resurrected fully and took to the skies gracefully on Monday.   The aircraft is the gleaming VT-ALL, a Boeing 777-300ER, that was gathering grime since February 2020, and becomes the final among the two-and-half dozen aircraft that have been revved up and revived in the past few years, AI official sources said.   It marked a symbolic milestone for Air India itself - founded in 1932 by the legendary Bharat Ratna J. R. R. Tata - which once ruled the roost and was India’s pride in the global skies.   Once renowned for its royal service with the iconic Maharaja welcoming fliers on board, in 1953 it was taken over by the government of India. After years of piling losses, ageing aircraft, decline in operations and standards – almost like a Maharaja turning a pauper - it returned to the Tata Group four years ago.   This time it was not just the aircraft, the brand and the deflated Maharaja coming into the large-hearted Tata Group stables, but a formidable challenge to ensure that the airline could regain its old glory and glitter. Of the total around 190 aircraft in its fleet were 30 – or 15 pc – that had been grounded and neglected for years.   At that time, the late Ratan N. Tata had directed that all these valuable aircraft must be revived as far as possible and join the fleet. Accordingly, the VT-ALL, languishing at Nagpur for nearly five years, was ‘hospitalized’ at the Air India Engineering Service Ltd., its MRO facility in May 2025.   New Avatar Then started a thorough, painstaking nose-to-tail restoration of an unprecedented scale, in which over 3000 critical components were replaced, over 4,000 maintenance tasks executed, besides key structural upgrades like the longeron modification, engines, auxiliary power units, avionics, hydraulics, landing gears and almost every vital system was rebuilt or replaced.   After the repairs, the old aircraft was reborn, under the gaze of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and technical assistance from Boeing, and the new ‘avatar’ jetliner emerged with the highest global safety standards.   The aircraft cleared all the rigorous checks, a successful test flight, earned the mandatory Airworthiness Review Certificate and then made its maiden commercial flight from Monday, March 16 – after a wait of six years.   Sturdy Fliers Created in 1946 to become an instant global icon, the Air India’s mascot Maharaja now sports a youthful and chic look, a welcome with folded hands, closed eyes, featuring a bejewelled turban, stylish jootis, and a textured kurta in Air India’s new colours. He is prominently visible at various touch-points in a flyer’s journey, such as First Class, exclusive lounges, and luxury products.   Today, he commands a mix fleet of around 190 narrow and wide-body Airbus and Boeing aircraft like : A319, A320, A320neo, A321, A321neo, A350-900 and B787-8, B787-9, B7770200LR, B-777-300ER. With the merger of Vistara and agreements signed for 10 A350 and 90 A320 aircraft, the Maharaja’s fleet is slated to soar to some 570 in the near future.

Celluloid Ambitions

Maharashtra is doubling down on its claim as India’s entertainment capital. Recently, the State government approved a sprawling new film city in Igatpuri, Nashik district, a 54-hectare complex in Mundegaon village that promises more than mere shooting facilities. With studios, outdoor sets and an amusement park modelled after Hyderabad’s Ramoji Film City, the hub is designed to cater to both filmmakers’ logistical needs and tourists’ appetite for spectacle. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has framed the project as a boost to local employment and business, particularly in hospitality and transport.


The timing is telling. Maharashtra already hosts the legendary Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari in Goregaon, Mumbai. Yet the city’s congestion and high costs have long posed constraints on the industry. Igatpuri, perched amid scenic hills and accessible via the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway in under two hours, offers a more spacious, diverse, and convenient filming destination. It comes in handy for a production company as the sets and studios are easier to book, transport is faster and the surrounding natural landscape lends itself to outdoor shoots that Mumbai’s urban sprawl cannot. Economically, the government’s calculus is straightforward. The film city is expected to generate local employment and stimulate Nashik’s economy, echoing the model of other integrated film hubs. Hotels, restaurants, transport operators and ancillary service providers stand to benefit. Film tourism, a sector that has gained prominence globally, could further anchor Igatpuri as a destination beyond production schedules.


Yet there is a strategic subtext. Maharashtra is facing competition, particularly from the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government. The latter, through Bayview Bhutani Film City near Greater Noida, is staking a bold claim in the cinematic landscape. Spread over 1,000 acres along the Yamuna Expressway, the Noida project promises cutting-edge sound stages, underwater studios, a film and television institute and long-term accommodations for actors. Uttar Pradesh is aiming to generate hundreds of thousands of jobs and lure both domestic and international productions through its Noida film city project. Its proximity to the upcoming Noida International Airport adds logistical convenience that even Mumbai struggles to match.


Maharashtra’s response, therefore, is as much defensive as it is developmental. The Igatpuri film city is a statement that the state intends to remain India’s cinematic nucleus. The government is betting that by offering accessible infrastructure, a scenic backdrop, and a diversified entertainment experience, it can hold off rivals eager to attract the industry’s lucrative investments. Igatpuri’s venture also reflects a broader trend of decentralisation of the Indian entertainment industry. As states vie for cultural cachet and economic gain, film cities are evolving into integrated hubs combining production, education, tourism and leisure. They are no longer ornamental but strategic assets, instruments of economic development and tools of soft power. Maharashtra’s approach embodies a pragmatic blend of spectacle and practicality. In doing so, it not only safeguards Mumbai’s pre-eminence but also ensures that India’s cinema industry has room to grow beyond the city’s crowded confines.

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