With a focus on five key pillars — exceptional customer experience, robust operations, industry-best talent, industry leadership, and commercial efficiency — Air India on Thursday unveiled its comprehensive transformation plan. It has been named as Vihaan.AI, which in Sanskrit signifies a new dawn, with identified objectives for Air India over the next five years.

As part of Vihaan.AI, Air India has put into place a detailed roadmap with clear milestones focussing on dramatically growing both its network and fleet, developing a completely revamped customer proposition, improving reliability and on-time performance, and taking a leadership position in technology, sustainability, and innovation, while aggressively investing behind the best industry talent.

Over the next five years, Air India will strive to increase its market share to at least 30 per cent in the domestic market while significantly growing the international routes from the present market share. The plan is aimed at putting Air India on a path to sustained growth, profitability and market leadership.

The carrier’s CEO, Campbell Wilson along with senior management members, unveiled the plan with the entire organization through Workplace – its virtual communication and engagement platform. Over the coming days and weeks, the management team will engage employees across regions, departments, and locations through a series of physical and hybrid sessions.

While the immediate focus of the airline remains on fixing the basics and readying itself for growth (taxing phase), the more medium-to-long term focus will be on building for excellence and establishing scale to become a global industry leader (take off and climb phases).

Commenting on Vihaan.AI, Wilson said: “This is the beginning of a historic transformation for Air India, and the dawn of a new era. We are laying the foundation for a brave new Air India, with a renewed sense of purpose and incredible momentum.”

“Vihaan.AI is our transformation plan to make Air India the world-class airline it once was, and that it deserves to be again. We are absolutely focussed on being recognized as a world-class airline serving global customers, with a proudly Indian heart,” he said.

“The transformation has already started – a slew of initiatives in areas like refurbishing cabins, serviceable seats, in-flight entertainment systems are already underway. We are also adopting proactive maintenance and refining flight schedules to enhance on-time performance,” he said further.

“Our fleet expansion will involve a combination of both narrow-bodied and wide-bodied aircrafts to cater to varied network needs. The excitement and shared commitment to drive Vihaan.ai is palpable across the organisation and stakeholders will recognise the changes as the new face of Air India emerges,” he added.