“The cabin interiors, as well as the exterior livery design are as per the airline standards were done at the manufacturing facility for this aircraft,” the source said.

In the case of all the previous Max aircraft that reached the airline from the US, all these aspects were carried out at the MRO facilities across the country.

The Tata Group took over the beleaguered Air India and Air India Express in January 2022. The operational integration and legal merger of Air India Express and AirAsia India into one entity took place on October 1, 2024.

Incidentally, an initiative to have a special registration plate was done by Air Asia India in the past for JRD Tata, with the letters  - VT-JRD. It was called `The Pioneer Aircraft'. “Post-merger, this aircraft too now finds a place in the fleet of Air India Express. So, we will shortly be operating two aircraft with special number plates,” another source said.

Ratan Tata was born on December 28, 1937 in Mumbai and passed away on October 9, 2024. He is the nephew of J R D Tata, who founded India’s first airline, Tata Airlines (later Air India) in 1932.