Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma has congratulated Air India on its return to profitability, calling it a significant milestone for the Tata Group-owned airline. According to a recent report, Air India has posted an operating profit in the fiscal year 2025, with revenue rising by 14% to ₹61,000 crore. The airline carried 44 million passengers during the year, registering a 9.9% annual growth. The return to profitability is a major turnaround for the airline, which had struggled with losses in the past.
The gains are attributed to the airline’s ongoing transformation under the Vihaan.AI programme, aimed at overhauling operations, fleet, and service quality. The programme has passed its halfway mark, with the key challenge now being to upgrade the legacy aircraft. To address this, Air India has placed an order for 570 new aircraft, which is expected to modernise its fleet and help expand international operations.
The airline’s return to profitability is a significant achievement, considering its history of losses. Before its acquisition by the Tata Group in 2022, Air India had reported a standalone net loss of approximately ₹6,927 crore during the April-December 2021 period. The airline’s debt burden was also significant, with a total debt of around ₹61,562 crore at the time of the sale.
The Tata Group’s acquisition of Air India has marked a significant turning point for the airline. The group has invested heavily in the airline’s transformation, with a focus on improving service quality, modernising the fleet, and expanding international operations. The order for 570 new aircraft is a major step towards achieving these goals.
Sharma’s comments suggest that the airline’s return to profitability will lead to further investments in upgrades and improvements. He expressed his enthusiasm for seeing new interiors on all international routes and flying non-stop with Air India. The airline’s transformation is expected to have a positive impact on the Indian aviation industry as a whole, with Air India poised to become a major player in the market once again. Overall, Air India’s return to profitability is a significant milestone, marking a major turnaround for the airline and a promising future under the Tata Group’s ownership.