The Hindu Business Line : Dakota to Airbus

FROM transporting elephants in the old Dakota aircraft to carrying Fiat cars in the modern Airbus A-300 aircraft, it has been a five-decade-long journey of building linkages between diverse parts of the country, carrying passengers and helping generations develop careers with Indian Airlines.

As it gets ready to kickstart the year-long golden jubilee celebrations this year, the airline's top brass is holding its cards close to its chest on what exactly is being planned.

"The planning is being done at an intellectual and emotional level," officials said without giving out too many details.

A publication charting out not only the growth but also the work done by the airline could materialise during the period of celebrations. But what gives the men and women of IA the greatest pride is the manner in which the airline, apart from looking after the passenger needs, created a work ethos which looked after the needs of not only the worker but also their family.

"People who join us look for a career, not a quick turnaround. We have several cases of one generation after another joining IA and growing with the airline," officials said.

In addition to carrying out the task of linking inaccessible parts of the country where few other airlines operate, the airline has also been a ground to breed talent on the sports field, be it in cricket, hockey, chess or carrom.

But officials are quick to add that the airline has not been lacking in its first duty of upgrading products and services to provide more amenities and facilities to the travelling public. The airline officials point out that apart from what others in the industry have to offer, be it the tele-check in facility, IA provides a separate room for commercially important people or specially looking after the needs of children or the aged .

For the records, IA was formed in 1953 with the merger of eight independent domestic airlines like Deccan Aviation, Kalinga Aviation and Himalayan Aviation, among others.

It is said to have inherited a fleet of more than 70 aircraft, including the DC-3 Dakota.

Now all that has changed and today, the airline operates a modern fleet of more than 50 aircraft, including Airbus-A-300, Airbus A-320 and Boeing 737 aircraft.

In the five decades of its existence IA has been a part and parcel of post-independent Indian history.

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