Indian Airlines came into being with the enactment of the Air Corporations Act 1953 and was entrusted with the responsibility of providing air transportation within the country as well as to the neighbouring countries. Indian Airlines was given the task to assimilate various dimensions of the eight private airlines, which were nationalized to provide well-coordinated, adequate, safe, efficient and economical air services. The airline began its operations on <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = ST1 />1st August 1953.<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O />
At the time of nationalization, Indian Airlines inherited a fleet of 99 aircraft consisting of various types of aircraft which were gradually replaced by Viscount, F27 and HS748. Nineteen hundred and sixty four (1964) was the beginning of the jet era in Indian Airlines when the Caravelle aircraft was inducted into the fleet; B737 and A300 were introduced in 1970 and 1976 respectively while Caravelles were phased out. Between 1970 and 1982 Indian Airlines inducted 28 B737 aircraft in its fleet. Similarly 10 A300 aircraft were inducted from 1976 to 1982. Indian Airlines started inducting first batch of Airbus A320 aircraft (19 aircraft) in June, 1989.
Today, Indian Airlines, together with its fully owned subsidiary Alliance Air, has a fleet of 67 aircraft ( 4 wide bodied Airbus A300s, 47 fly-by-wire Airbus A320s, 11 Boeing 737s, 2 Dornier D-228 aircraft and 4 ATR-42).
Indian Airlines has been setting the standards for civil aviation in India since its inception in 1953. It has many firsts to its credit, including introduction of the wide-bodied A300 aircraft on the domestic network, the fly-by-wire A320, Domestic Shuttle Service, Walk-in Flights and Easy-fares. Its unique orange and white logo emblazoned on the tails of all its aircraft is perhaps the most widely recognized Indian brand symbol that has over the years become synonymous with service, efficiency and reliability.