 After World War II , regular commercial service was restored in India and Tata Airlines became a public limited company on 29 July 1946 under the name Air India . After the Indian independence in 1947 , 49 % of the airline was acquired by the Government of India in 1948 . On 8 June 1948 , a Lockheed Constellation L @-@ <unk> named Malabar Princess ( registered VT @-@ <unk> ) took off from Bombay bound for London Heathrow marking the airline 's first international flight . In 1953 , the Government of India passed the Air Corporations Act and purchased a majority stake in the carrier . The company was renamed as Air India International Limited and the domestic services were transferred to Indian Airlines as a part of restructuring . From 1948 to 1950 , the airline introduced services to Nairobi in Africa and to major European destinations Rome , Paris and Düsseldorf . The airline took delivery of its first Lockheed Constellation L @-@ 1049 named Rani of Jhansi ( registered VT @-@ <unk> ) and inaugurated services to Bangkok , Hong Kong , Tokyo and Singapore . 
