Maneck Dalal Gallery

Mr. Maneck Dalal Gallery

Mr. Maneck Dalal, who played a key role in the birth of Air-India International in 1948 when he was sent to the UK by J.R.D. Tata, chairman of the Tata group of companies.

At the age of 29 and at the behest of his hero J R D Tata, the young post graduate from Trinity Hall, Cambridge University, started the Air India Office in London in 1948. He had joined Tata Airlines (Air India Limited) in 1946 and was its Manager in New Delhi. Two years later in 1948, he was send to London. Maneck was truly one of the builders of Air India and was its regional director from 1959 – 1977. When Maneck started the twice weekly operations for Air India in 1948 in London, only eight airlines operated out of Heathrow Airport, which was only a collection of huts – one of them being Maneck’s office.

Air-India’s inaugural flight on the Constellation, named Malabar Princess, took off from Bombay on June 8, 1948, just after midnight. On board were JRD and his wife, the Jamsaheb of Nawanagar and industrialist Neville Wadia. Dalal was at the airport to receive the flight and to see it start the return journey on June 10, 1948. This was the start of a weekly service. At the time only BOAC, Pan Am, TWA, KLM and Air France operated from Heathrow.

Maneck then joined the Tatas and became Managing Director of Tata Ltd, London 1977 – 1988 and Vice Chairman 1988 – 1989. He also served on the board of Tata Sons the group holding company.

Here in this page, we would like to showcase some of the Air-India souvenir materials, these materials are part of the Mr Dalal collection.

Cuff-Links with gift box.
(Provenance: Mr Maneck Dalal)