Air India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India's Ministry of Tourism to jointly promote the country as a global tourism destination and strengthen its position as an international aviation and transit hub, the airline said in a statement.

The agreement makes Air India the first global airline to formally partner with the ministry, according to the statement. It sets up a framework for coordinated work across tourism marketing, destination storytelling, trade engagement, transit tourism, and improving the visitor experience, drawing on Air India's international network and the ministry's Incredible India campaign.

Nipun Aggarwal, chief commercial officer at Air India, said the airline saw itself as having a role in presenting the country internationally. "As the airline that proudly carries India in its name, Air India has a unique responsibility to showcase the country to the world," he said, describing the partnership as a way to spotlight what he called a confident and welcoming "new India."

P. Balaji, group head for governance, risk, compliance, and corporate affairs at Air India, said the MoU followed months of coordination between the airline and the ministry. He said the agreement combined the government's "nation-branding strengths" with the carrier's expanding global footprint and was intended to create new ways for international travellers to learn about India.

Under the MoU, Air India and the Ministry of Tourism will run co-branded marketing campaigns across digital, social media, and inflight platforms and will explore extending Incredible India branding to Air India's customer touchpoints, the statement said. The two sides also plan to jointly engage tour operators and travel trade partners in key international markets and to take part in tourism exhibitions, roadshows, and familiarisation trips aimed at building international interest in India.

The partnership additionally covers work with state tourism boards to promote destinations across the country, according to the statement.

On the aviation side, the MoU includes cooperation on transit and stopover tourism as Air India develops its Delhi and Mumbai hubs into major international gateways, including the possible development of stopover programmes. The airline and the ministry will also explore linking tourism-related customer incentives to Air India's Maharaja Club loyalty programme, with the ministry facilitating potential offers for Air India customers at cultural attractions, heritage sites, and museums, the statement said.

Air India currently serves 40 international destinations across five continents and says its network of 25 codeshare agreements and more than 120 interline partnerships connects India to over 1,000 destinations worldwide, according to the statement.

Source: PR