The tragic crash of the Air India flight claiming over 200 lives will cast a shadow over the airline's standing and brand equity. The much celebrated Indian brand, now faces a serious dent in public perception, say brand strategists. This puts the airline's turnaround effort on a backfoot and brings to the fore other long standing concerns with the service quality.
Air India confirmed that its flight AI171 flying from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed shortly after take-off, resulting in 241 confirmed casualties. Subsequently, chairperson of Air India N Chandrasekaran also announced a compensation of Rs1 crore to kin of the dead, and expressed his grief.
While the company acknowledges the incident, brand strategists opine that a crash of this scale will affect the imagery of what Air India and the Tatas stand for.
Harish Bijoor, a business and brand-strategy specialist said, “This is a tipping point because the biggest aspect people look for in an airline is safety, which was compromised in this case, and the airline will be berated for it, more than the aircraft maker.”
The Air India brand was amidst the revamp and trying to gain more traction for itself, and an accident like this affects that effort, and this unfortunate incident has happened at a very wrong time for Air India, he added.
Since formally taking over the airline in January 2022, the Tata Group has been working to revive the carrier through a series of major overhauls. The incident deals a blow to its aspiration of building a “world-class global airline with an Indian heart.”
Shashank Bhardwaj, CEO of brand consulting agency yMedia, says, “Tata-owned Air India may not be viewed as a malicious or unethical brand, thanks to its legacy—but it will certainly be seen as incompetent. Issues like flight delays, booking troubles, and now safety concerns only reinforce that image.”
In situations like this, he adds, consumer sentiment is often driven by irrational fear. Even though Air India will likely tighten its checks and balances now, many passengers may still avoid the airline—at least for the next few weeks—opting for others they perceive as safer, he added.
The airline's legacy dates back to its early years before the nationalization of the carrier, when it was renowned for its well kept planes and top notch service under the vision of its founder, JRD Tata. Then, the iconic Maharajah mascot symbolized the golden era.
Since the tragic plane crash, social media has been flooded with posts questioning not just Air India but also the aircraft maker Boeing. Users have voiced concerns about safety, while also highlighting long-standing grievances with Air India's overall service — including issues with food quality, booking glitches, check-in hassles, and in-flight experience. What began as outrage over a fatal incident has now broadened into a wider conversation around the airline's operational standards and the reliability of the aircraft it uses.
Sourasis Bose, a frequent Air India flyer, said, “We have all heard what experts have said about Air India aircraft, like equipment not working properly and other issues. This raises doubts on whether the company is on the right track and raises doubts about its operational ability.”
“If I know for a fact that if I fly Indigo, I'll get an Airbus aircraft instead of Boeing, that sort of helps. There has been so much negative publicity about Boeing in the past year; it does not help Air India that it's running a combined Boeing and Airbus fleet," he added.
Brand strategists believe that Tata's long standing legacy in India will aid in restoring public trust more swiftly than usual.
Bijoor notes that the Tata name carries deep-rooted goodwill, having built consumer trust across its various ventures by consistently standing by the people, which will help the Air India brand weather the storm.
Echoing this sentiment, Bhardwaj adds that while heightened scrutiny and caution from consumers are inevitable in the short term, such reactions typically fade over time, as public memory tends to be short-lived.
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