Standing on the land reclaimed from sea for more than five decades now, Air India building in the country’s commercial capital in the 1970s had people queuing up just to have the experience of using an elevator.
Designed by New York-based architect John Burgee matching the aspirations of J R D Tata, the 23-storey building was among the first in those days to have elevators, neon signage on top and two levels of basement parking to name a few facilities.
The building had “numerous firsts” is how a retired senior official of erstwhile Air India put it on Thursday as he recalled his more than two decade-long stint there.
And the neon signage on top of the building that displayed Centaur, the logo of Air India which was later replaced after the merger of Indian Airlines, was also a key attraction in the 1970s as not many structures boasted of such an element.
The building, constructed on the state government’s land, is among the many commercial high-rises to come up on the Southern tip of the land reclaimed from sea that was developed as the city’s business district Nariman Point.
With its central location, the iconic building, which completed 50 years in June 2020, also provides an expansive view of the Marine Drive from Nariman Point up to Malabar Hill.
On Thursday, the central government announced approving the transfer of the Air India building in Mumbai to the Maharashtra government for a consideration of Rs 1,601 crore.
Former executive director of erstwhile Air India Jitender Bhargava, who had worked out of the building for over 20 years, on Thursday told PTI that the building had “numerous firsts” and added that the board room was on the 23rd floor.
Centralised air conditioning facilities and elevators with piped music were among the other attractions.
When Burgee designed the building, it was one of its kind at that time in 1970.
Bhargava, whose office was on the 20th floor of the building during the period from 1989 to 2010, said that when the building was opened, people used to come to have the experience of taking the elevator from the ground floor to the first floor, which housed the airline’s booking office at that time.
There is also an auditorium and cafeteria, among other facilities at the building, where around eight floors were occupied by Air India, he recalled.
During the Gulf boom in the 80s, job seekers used to flock to the Air India booking counter. As many as 400 people would be visiting the place to book flight tickets to various Gulf countries, a retired airline official told PTI.
According to Godrej archives, the Air India building was among the first few high-rises to be constructed on the new stretch of the reclaimed land.
The building had its share of cinematic moments as many Bollywood movies have featured it in various scenes.
During its more than five-decade-long existence, the building, also earthquake-resistant, was rocked by a bomb blast in 1993.
The iconic building in many aspects also reflects the development journey of Mumbai and even as a link between the past and the present.
In its archive Volume 2, Issue 1 dated April-May 2014, Godrej said that back in the 1920s, when the post-war boom put great stress on land, the Development Directorate proposed the Backbay Reclamation Scheme.
“The pier at the southern end of Block II, near Colaba, was completed in 1960 and named Nariman Point, after the firebrand Khursheed Framji Nariman, a whistle-blower who brought to light financial misappropriation by the British Government,” it added.
It also said that a construction boom in the following decade saw this region spurting many commercial high-rises. Some of the first few high-rises to be constructed on this new stretch of land were the headquarters of Air India and Indian Express.
“Interestingly, Godrej fabrications can be found on both these buildings. While 1,502 windows were supplied and fitted in the Air India building, at the Express Towers, false ceilings with trapezoid perforations made possible by the skills of the Panchals were installed, along with aluminium frame,” as per the archive.
While Tata Group took over Air India in January 2022, the airline’s non-core assets, including land and buildings, were transferred to AI Assets Holding Company Ltd (AIAHL). The non-core assets valued at Rs 14,718 crore were transferred to AIAHL after it was set up in 2019 by the government as a precursor to the sale of Air India for holding the debt and non-core assets of the then national carrier.
“GoI has approved transfer of Air India building, Mumbai of AI Assets Holding Company Ltd (AIAHL) to Government of Maharashtra (GoM) at consideration of Rs 1,601 cr. GoM has agreed to waive dues of Rs 298.42 cr, which would have been otherwise payable by AIAHL to GoM for this transaction,” DIPAM Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said in a post on X.
