Air India likely to replace iconic 'Maharajah' mascot, says report

The airline has had a variety of logos over the ages including a centaur, the rising sun and a flying swan through the decades, the Maharajah was introduced a year before India's independence in 1946.

Air India is likely to replace the 'Maharajah' mascot as the airline undergoes a revamp, according to a report by the Economic Times. The report also suggested that the Maharajah image may continue to be used at the airline's airport lounges and premium classes.

The airline has had a variety of logos over the ages including a centaur, the rising sun and a flying swan through the decades, the Maharajah was introduced a year before India's independence in 1946.

The Revamp
The airline is slated to get new livery featuring red, white and purple color. Red and white are Air India’s colours. It is likely that the purple denotes the color of Vistara airlines, post the airline's merger with Air India.

The report mentioned that the Airbus A350 planes will be the first ones to sport the new look after their induction in November this year. Design consultancy firm FutureBrand has been hired to revamp Air India’s branding strategy.

Air India's Ad Campaign
The new branding is likely to be unveiled in August, Economic Times reported citing people familiar with the matter. Adman Prasoon Joshi-led McCann Worldgroup has been appointed for the advertising and marketing campaign.

As the brand attempts to rival luxury  airlines like Qatar and Emirates Airways, it wants to de-link its image from the Maharajah, a person in know of the developments told the business daily.

“A large section of the fliers will be business travellers, corporate executives. Maharajah, who wears a turban and has an outsized moustache, though a very successful story, doesn’t resonate anymore with these kinds of customers. It has also been maligned, repurposed multiple times.” Moreover, no modern global airline has a mascot, the source said.

Consolidation PlansAir India is also looking to consolidate multiple low-budget airlines, on July 26, AirAsia India sought approvals from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to speed-up its merger with Air India Express. The airline also sought to be rebranded from AirAsia India to AI Express, sources familiar with the matter told Mint.