Pilots want October 15 declared National Aviation Day to honour JRD Tata's first flight
In a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Federation of Indian Pilots also said the next major international airport be named after JRD
January 27, 2022 / 01:56 PM IST
India Post issued a stamp in 1994, to commemorate J.R.D. Tata's contributions to industry and the nation. Air India pilots who worked with him remember J.R.D. as strict but always polite, and a stickler for values like on-time travel and high quality of service. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
The Federation of Indian Pilots has asked the government to declare October 15 as the National Aviation Day and also name the next major international airport after JRD Tata, the pioneer of civil aviation in India.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the pilots’ body said October 15, 1932, was the day of Tata’s first flight and since he was considered the father of civil aviation in India, it would be befitting that it be declared National Aviation Day.
“It would be more appropriate if you declare it this year, as we are celebrating the 90th anniversary of his flight in 2022,” the letter said.
The request comes as the Tata Group is set to get back control of Air India after 69 years from the government after winning the bid for the debt-laden flag carrier.
The government in October 2021 inked the share-purchase agreement with the Tata Group for the sale of Air India for Rs 18,000 crore.
The business conglomerate is paying Rs 2,700 crore in cash and is taking over Rs 15,300 crore of the airline’s debt. The deal also includes sale of Air India Express and ground handling arm AISATS.
The transaction was to be completed by December 2021 but the deadline had to be extended to January 2022 to complete procedural work.
The Tata Group founded Air India as Tata Airlines in October 1932 and the government nationalised it in 1953.