AirAsia India is commemorating JRD Tata's first commercial flight's 90th anniversary with a series of digital, on-ground, and in-flight engagement activities. JRD Tata, an avid aviator, was the Tata group's longest-serving chairman and is widely regarded as the father of civil aviation in India. In addition to receiving the Bharat Ratna, he was also made an honorary Air Vice Marshal of the Indian Air Force. On October 15, 1932, JRD Tata piloted the inaugural flight of Tata Air Services from Karachi to Bombay via Ahmedabad in a single-engine de Havilland Puss Moth, paving the way for civil aviation in India. The inaugural flight is commemorated in the livery designed by AirAsia India for its VT-JRT aircraft. 


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AirAsia India announced the engagement activities through its social media handles, including the `#SpotThePioneer` contest. Participants stand a chance to win a free flight by sharing original photos of The Pioneer's aircraft on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, taggingA@AirAsiaIndia, and using the hashtag #SpotThePioneer.


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The airline is giving themed postcards to flyers, inviting them to write to their loved ones, and undertaking to mail the postcards on behalf of its guests, commemorating the airmail carried by JRD Tata on the inaugural flight. The postcard design pays tribute to JRD`s love for writing (he wrote over 40,000 letters in his lifetime), with an image from the Tata Central Archives of JRD at his writing desk and features the 90th-anniversary logo and the custom font "Jeh," inspired by his flourishing handwriting.



Meanwhile, AirAsia's official Twitter handle also started a quiz on Twitter about JRD Tata. The questions on social media covered a huge range of the pioneer's life. The tweets had questions like, "JRD Tata’s aviator’s certificate, a.k.a. pilot’s licence bore the number" He added, "What was JRD Tata’s first language? " They also asked, "On 15 October 1932, JRD Tata landed in Mumbai on which airstrip."


With inputs from IANS