Chairman N Chandrasekaran states that restoring Air India may take up to ten years

According to a senior executive, the Air India group plans to receive between 50 and 60 new aircraft over the next eighteen months, continuing its transformation program despite challenges related to supply chains and the geopolitical situation.

Transformation Program and Challenges

Following the acquisition of the loss-making Air India by the Tata group in January 2022, the airline is implementing an ambitious transformation plan. Nipun Aggarwal, Commercial Director of Air India and Chairman of Air India Express, noted that 'tons of lessons' have been learned over the past years, and that the project is complex and not easy.

He emphasized that the industry has faced a number of difficulties, including multiple 'black swan' events that could not have been foreseen at the beginning of the transformation journey. These problems include issues with supply chains, airspace, oil price volatility, and geopolitical factors.

Fleet Status and Modernization

Air India has encountered various obstacles, including the fatal crash of its Dreamliner last June, which resulted in 260 fatalities. The airline has embarked on a five-year large-scale transformation plan, and Aggarwal reported that most of the planned activities, including fleet renewal and investments in MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul), are being implemented.

Nevertheless, there are delays in aircraft deliveries and retrofitting. Despite external circumstances that have significantly impacted the company, Aggarwal expressed optimism, stating that they remain on track to achieve their goals.

Supply and Renewal Prospects

The Air India group has an order for nearly 600 aircraft, and less than ten percent of them have been delivered so far. This order will be valid until the middle of the next decade. Aggarwal forecasts that between 50 and 60 aircraft will be added annually over the next seven to eight years. He specified that deliveries will begin to accelerate at the end of the current year, and then in the following year, ensuring a steady flow of both wide-body and narrow-body models—approximately 10-15 wide-body and 45-50 narrow-body per year.

Approximately 50-60 aircraft are expected to be received in the next 18 months. Regarding modernization, Air India Express plans to complete the retrofitting of its entire fleet into a single harmonized fleet by March of next year, while Air India's wide-body aircraft will be modernized over two to three years. Retrofitting the Dreamliner or Boeing 787 is expected by mid-next year, whereas the Boeing 777 will require more time.

Technology and Network Recovery

Aggarwal also mentioned that deliveries of Boeing MAX 8 are already arriving, and the company will be one of the first customers to receive the MAX 10 after certification, which is expected to begin early next year. Previously, Air India faced operational issues with older wide-body aircraft, but this period, according to the Commercial Director, is behind them, and modernization is gaining momentum.

Due to high oil prices and the Middle East conflict, Air India has reduced some services. However, Aggarwal reported that network recovery is underway since the second half of this year. In the Middle East region, a 90 percent level has already been reached, and most reductions in Europe and the US, made in August-September, have already resumed. He predicts that within a couple of months, the airline will return to the level it was before the war began.

Furthermore, Air India is investing in improving the customer experience at all touchpoints, focusing on new standards for crew and airport staff service, as he believes that hardware will not bring significant benefit without good software for equipment operation.

Following a loss in the final of the one-year 2023 World Cup, Rohit Sharma set himself the goal of completing his unfinished dream—winning the 2027 World Cup. To achieve this goal, he radically changed himself: he reduced his weight by approximately 11 kilograms and worked extensively on his physical fitness, striving to improve his playing abilities. However, in cricket, not only training matters, but also timing, team needs, and long-term planning.

BCCI Management Decisions

If reports are true, and the BCCI selection committee has informed Rohit Sharma that he is not part of the plans for the 2027 World Cup, this decision marks not only the fate of one player but also the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket.

Ajit Agarkar's Vision

Ajit Agarkar has made several difficult decisions, prioritizing the future over popularity. He has ended the era of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in Test cricket. Furthermore, he has started trusting young fast bowlers instead of the experienced bowler Mohammed Shami, who is 35 years old, and focused on preparing a new generation of players by changing the team composition.

The main objective of these steps was to create a team capable of winning the title in a tough tournament, similar to the one held in South Africa for the 2027 World Cup. India has not won the ODI World Cup since 2011, and although the team reached the final in 2023, the trophy slipped away. The selection committees believe it is time to prepare the next wave of players.

Gautam Gambhir's Mission

As head coach, Gautam Gambhir has also clearly defined his task—to prepare the team with an eye on the 2027 World Cup. At the beginning of the year, everything looked promising for Rohit Sharma: he scored 73 and 121* runs against Australia and played a half-century against South Africa, raising hopes for his continued participation at a high level.

However, after this, he suffered a hamstring injury during the IPL. Subsequent matches against Afghanistan and England with low run-scoring put his ability to maintain his previous level at around 40 years old into question. The team management also noted these points. For Gambhir, this decision was driven not by emotion, but by the necessity of preparing for the next global tournament.

Yashasvi Jaiswal's Role

The main challenge for Rohit Sharma has been not so much his age as the rapid development of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jaiswal has established himself as one of India's most reliable batsmen in Test cricket, scoring over 700 runs against England, and also scoring a century in Australia and 411 runs in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He has left his mark in every major tournament.

His ODI statistics also make it impossible for selection committees to ignore him. In the last three matches, he has scored two centuries. Nevertheless, he has not received consistent opportunities. It has become clear to the selection committees that the leadership of Indian batting may transition to him in the coming decade. In Indian cricket, selection has never been based solely on past performance; there has always been the question of who can win the next World Cup. The situation with Rohit Sharma resembles the story where players like Ajinkya Rahane had to wait their turn due to Sachin Tendulkar's long career, but ultimately the team moved forward. Great players do not end their careers because of their records, but when the team starts looking to the future.

Prioritizing the Future Over the Past

Rohit Sharma has not given up despite everything. He has changed himself, improved his physical condition by losing 11 kg, and maintained faith in the possibility of participating in the 2027 World Cup. However, Indian cricket has chosen a different path. Agarkar developed a plan for the future, Gambhir began implementing it, and Yashasvi Jaiswal reinforced this strategy with his performances. If the match at Lord's truly becomes Rohit Sharma's last ODI, the reason lies not in a lack of effort, but in the fact that Indian cricket has decided to rely more on future prospects than on past glory. Perhaps this is the greatest truth of the game: great players leave not by losing, but by being left behind by time.