New Delhi, July 28: Tata Group-owned Air India and its budget airline Air India Express reported a combined net loss of ₹22,238 crore for the fiscal year 2025-26. This figure is more than double the previous year’s loss of ₹10,859 crore. During this period, the combined revenue of both airlines also saw a decline of nearly 9%.
According to the airlines’ annual report, their total revenue for FY 2026 was ₹71,870 crore. Air India alone recorded a revenue of ₹51,452 crore, resulting in a net loss of ₹15,368 crore. Meanwhile, Air India Express generated ₹19,088 crore in revenue, with a net loss of ₹6,767 crore.
Currently, Tata Sons holds a 73.82% stake in Air India, while Singapore Airlines owns 25.1%, and employees hold 1.08%. This employee stake was introduced as part of a share benefit plan during the airline’s privatization in 2022.
Addressing shareholders, Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran emphasized that the airline’s transformation should be viewed as a long-term process. He stressed that building a world-class global airline cannot be achieved in just a few quarters.
In his message, he stated, “Every great airline in history has taken decades to build, not just a few quarters.” Chandrasekaran noted that the revitalization of Air India is a journey that will take 5 to 10 years. He explained that when the Tata Group acquired the airline, it was in a challenging position. Additionally, the transformation involves modernizing outdated systems and processes, renewing the aircraft fleet, changing organizational culture, and training a large number of skilled technical and aviation professionals.
His remarks suggest that the turnaround for Air India may take longer than initially expected, as the Tata Group continues to invest several billion dollars in the airline’s revival since acquiring it from the government in 2022.
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