Since the Tata takeover, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation has repeatedly fined Air India over safety and other regulatory violations, including an Rs8mn ($95,000) penalty last year for exceeding flight duty time limits. At home, it is competing in a near duopoly with IndiGo, which has been boosting its international long-haul routes.

Management installed by the Tata Group had spent three years struggling to undo a reputation for shoddy operations earned during decades of state ownership.

It must turn its attention now to restoring internal morale and consumer confidence after the accident. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.