Air India seeks amended U.S. permit after privatization

Air India has asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to reissue its foreign air carrier permit under its new private ownership, marking another step in the flag carrier’s transition from a state-run enterprise to a Tata Group–led airline expanding its U.S.–India operations.

Air India Ltd., now operated as a private company within the Tata Group, filed its application on October 10 seeking an amended Foreign Air Carrier Permit and a matching exemption.

The filing requests that the DOT update its authorization to reflect Air India’s new legal name and ownership structure while retaining all rights under the 2005 U.S.–India Open Skies Agreement.

The petition, lodged by Anita Mosner and Benjamin Slocum of Holland & Knight LLP, represents the first major U.S. regulatory filing by Air India since its complete privatization in 2022. The company told U.S. officials it continues to be “fit to provide scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail” and that no public funds are used to support its operations.

Air India has operated between the U.S. and India for several decades. The reissuance of this authority is required because the company is now privately held and operates under a new legal name,” the filing said.

Under its current DOT authority issued in Order 2008-9-19, Air India is allowed to operate flights “from points behind India, via India and intermediate points, to a point or points in the United States and beyond.” Those rights, granted when the airline was still known as the National Aviation Company of India Ltd., remain valid until reissued.

New ownership and board

According to Exhibit A of the filing, Tata Sons Private Limited owns 73.73 per cent of Air India, Singapore Airlines Ltd. holds 25.10 per cent, and SBICAP Trustee Company Ltd. has the remainder.

The airline’s board is chaired by Natarajan Chandrasekaran, with Campbell Wilson, a New Zealander, serving as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. Other directors include Sanjiv Mehta, Alice Vaidyan, P.R. Ramesh, P.B. Balaji, and Goh Choon Phong of Singapore Airlines.

All but two of Air India’s senior executives and board members are Indian citizens, underscoring compliance with U.S. rules requiring foreign carriers to be substantially owned and effectively controlled by nationals of their home country.

Fleet and safety

Air India’s U.S. operations currently rely on a fleet of Boeing 777, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and Airbus A350 aircraft.

The carrier reported no safety or traffic violations in the past five years, aside from a single fatal accident involving Flight AI 171 earlier in 2025.

It confirmed that India remains a contracting party to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, with maintenance programs meeting ICAO Annexe standards on flight crew, operations, and airworthiness.

The airline also attached updated certificates of insurance from Tata AIG General Insurance Company Ltd. and re-filed its Warsaw/Montreal liability waiver forms—standard requirements for carriers serving U.S. routes.

Regulatory context

The request falls under the bilateral Open Skies framework, which allows unlimited flights between the United States and India by designated airlines from both nations.

In practical terms, approval of the amendment would align Air India’s U.S. authority with its corporate restructuring under Tata Sons, ensuring continuity for its expanding trans-Atlantic network, which includes nonstop flights from Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru to New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, DC.

The airline said it has already filed updates with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, including a revised Aviation Disaster Family Assistance Plan and updated passenger manifest procedures.

Broader significance

The filing underscores the changing nature of India’s aviation landscape, where privatisation and global alliances are reshaping legacy carriers.

Tata Sons—owner of Vistara, Air India Express, and AIX Connect—has been integrating operations to create a unified full-service and low-cost network that can compete with central Gulf and U.S. carriers for long-haul traffic between South Asia and North America.

For Indian travellers and the diaspora, the amendment signals regulatory continuity rather than route expansion. Yet it also sets the stage for future fleet modernisation and code-share deals with U.S. partners.

The DOT notice invites comments and objections by October 27 for the exemption and October 31 for the permit amendment. The department said it would poll U.S. carriers—including United Airlines, American, Delta, FedEx, and UPS—before issuing its decision.

If approved, Air India’s U.S. authorisation will formally bear its new identity, closing a bureaucratic chapter from the airline’s state-run past. (ENDS)