Air India Group Has Started Moving Out of Government-Owned Buildings

• Image Credit: Internet

• Sep 9, 2022 | Sourav Boruah

Digital Desk: The
Air India Group has begun leaving its offices, which are now run out of
buildings owned by the government, as part of its plan to centralize workspace around the nation as of this month.

The Tata Group
successfully won the auction for the airline on October 8, last year, and on
January 27 this year acquired the loss-making Air India and its overseas
low-cost subsidiary Air India Express.

In addition to
these two airlines, Tata Group also has an 83.67% share in low-cost carrier Air Asia India and a majority 51.0% holding in Vistara, a joint venture airline
with Singapore Airlines (SIA).

According to a
statement, this consolidation approach, which is being pursued to increase
collaboration and more readily install new technology, among other things,
would see Air India, Air India Express, and Air Asia India shared offices in the
National Capital Region by March of next year.

In New Delhi, at
Airlines House, Safdarjung Complex, GSD Complex, and IGI Terminal One, Air
India employs the majority of its workforce.

Before finally
transferring to a campus at the recently built Vatika One-on-One campus in
early 2023, staff members who are currently working out of these sites will
move to a temporary office space in Gurugram, according to the statement.

According to the statement,
the Vatika One-on-One campus will also be able to house Air India Express and Air Asia India and will be used to build group-level activities for the
airlines' increased capabilities, efficiency, and economies of scale.

According to Air
India, the move to the temporary location in the NCR will take place over the
month of September. In addition to offering staff flexible work schedules, they
will also receive last-mile access to the workplace from the nearest public
transportation hubs.

According to Campbell
Wilson, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Air India, "the
consolidation of multiple premises under one roof, and the progression from a rationalized to centralized organisation, is a critical milestone in Air
India's transformation journey."

The airline's rationalized organisational structure will
gradually be disbanded and replaced with a centralized one along with the
relocation and consolidation of offices. This will enable the consolidation of
currently dispersed teams, the co-location of managers with their teams, and
the physical proximity of related functions, according to the statement.

Additionally, it was stated that a senior team is reviewing
the offices in various locations that are housed in heritage buildings, with
some in Chennai and Kochi having already relocated to more contemporary workspace.