Air-India Timetables

Air-India Timetables are highly collectable for a variety of reasons. They chronicle the history of the airline, recording dates when services to new cities were added, and also discontinued. Likewise when the frequency of servicing changed, new aircraft were introduced and partner airline pooling arrangements functional.

There are other reasons for their appeal to collectors as well. Many timetables, especially those from the early 1950s through the late 1970s were a piece of art. The creative and beautiful cover designs, and the lovely manner in which route maps were displayed, makes them a pleasure to behold, and a treasure to preserve.

June 1948 through June 1954
The Lockheed Constellation L-749 era

The Airline started operations on 8 June 1948 with three Lockheed Constellation L-749 aircraft. three more were acquired in the next four years, in addition to two Douglas DC-4 aircraft the airline bought in 1952. These served the airline gloriously, flying the tricolour of a newly independent nation proudly over international skies.
Click on the button above to see more timetables from my June 1948 - June 1954 image gallery

July 1954 through February 1960
The Lockheed Super Constellation L-1049 era

Air-India International took delivery of two Lockheed Super Constellation L-1049 aircraft, Empress Nurjehan (later renamed Rani of Jhansi) and Rani of Ind in June 1954. They went on to add six more over the next few years, and added a new level of comfort and capacity to their expanding network.

Air-India had also placed orders for its first jet aircraft, the De Havilland Comet in 1953, but a series of incidents raised concerns on the design of the air frame, and the Comets were never delivered to Air-India. The Airline had to wait until February 1960 for the Boeing 707 to be delivered as the first jet to be added to its fleet.
Click on the button above to see more timetables from my July 1954 - February 1960 image gallery

March 1960 through April 1971
The Boeing 707 era

The first Boeing 707-437 fitted with Rolls Royce Conway engines, Nanda Devi (VT-DJI) arrived in February 1960, and was deployed on the Bombay - London service in March, which was extended to New York from April. Another two were added the same year, and three more in the next two years. Four more 707-337s were added between 1964 and 1968 by which time all the Constellations had been phased out, making Air-India the first all-Jet airline in Asia, and among the very few in the world.

These then comprised the entire fleet of the airline until the arrival of the Bowing 747 Jumbo Jet in 1971.
Click on the button above to see more timetables from my March 1960 - May 1971 image gallery

May 1971 through 1982
The Boeing 747 era

Air-India took delivery of their first Boeing 747-237B Jumbo Jet in April 1971, and the first flight to London using this aircraft was launched on 21 May 1971, and extended to New York on 26 May 1971. A total of 11 of these were purchased in the next few years, and another 3 in the 747-212B and 747-337M Combi models were purchased.
Click on the button above to see more timetables from my May 1971 - 1982 image gallery

1983 onwards
AirbusA300 and 310; more Boeing 747s, the 777 and the 787

In August 1982, Air-India took delivery of the first of its initial purchase of three Airbus A300B4-203 and starting April 1986 with A310-304 of which eight were delivered in the first phase. Six Boeing 747-437s were added starting August 1993, and sixteen A310-324 and A310-304 were leased starting 2000. this was followed by leasing more Boeing 747s.

The first Boeing 777-222ER entered revenue service in January 2005, and more recently the Boeing 787-8s entered service.
Click on the button above to see more timetables from my 1983 onwards image gallery