Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata (29 July 1904 – 29 November 1993) was an Indian aviator industrialist, entrepreneur and chairman of Tata Group. He was the first Indian citizen to get a commercial pilot's license on February 10, 1929. He was popularly renowned as the 'Father of Indian aviation'. In 1955 and 1992, he received two of India's highest civilian awards the Padma Vibushan and the Bharat Ratna.
In 1948, Air India inaugurated its first international service, from Mumbai to London. In the 1940s and 1950s, it was the first Indian global entity, proudly taking the Indian flag to international skies. He flew along with the passengers on the inauguration flight. He wants to establish the highest standards of customer service and excellence in terms of safety, punctuality, food and services. On 7 May 1949, then prime minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, wrote to JRD Tata that Air India International has played an unimportant part in raising the prestige of India abroad.
Air India became legendary for its punctuality.
The people in Geneva, in those years, set their watches to the time at which
the Air India flight flew over the city. The historian RM Lala told about
JRD’s standards of accuracy even when measuring the ground speed. JRD Tata’s
blue notes sent to the management of Airlines summarised his observations,
including encouraging comments and criticism. One of the notes suggested
keeping all the chairs reclined to keep them comfortable. Another note to
the Station Manager at Geneva suggested changing tea leaves or avoiding
excess brewing. Air India topped the list of airlines in the world in
1968 as per a survey done by the Daily Mail, London. When Singapore wanted to launch an airline
its then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew advised his team to study the high
standards set by Air India.
Air India was his personal creation and personal
passion. His strive for excellence and
perfection and his update on the latest technology gave it a global stature.
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