When was Tata Airlines, an airline company in British India established ?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 2:

Tata Airlines, the precursor to today's Air India, was established in British India in 1932 by J. R. D. Tata, who was a passionate aviator and the first person in India to receive a commercial pilot's license. The company was founded as the aviation division of Tata Sons. The inaugural flight, flown by J. R. D. Tata himself on October 15, 1932, carried air mail from Karachi to Bombay (now Mumbai) via a single-engine de Havilland Puss Moth aircraft. This marked the pivotal start of India's commercial aviation sector, providing the first scheduled air mail service in the region. The establishment of Tata Airlines was a significant milestone in India's industrial history and laid the foundation for the future national carrier.

The incorrect option is 1 (1922): 1922 is too early for the establishment of Tata Airlines. J. R. D. Tata received his pilot's license in 1929, and the establishment of the airline followed several years later after securing the necessary mail contracts.

The incorrect option is 3 (1942): 1942 is a decade after the airline's founding. By 1942, Tata Airlines was already an established service assisting the Royal Air Force during World War II; it was renamed Air India Limited in 1946.

The incorrect option is 4 (1912): 1912 predates the widespread development of commercial aviation in India, and J. R. D. Tata, the founder, was a young child at this time. The first commercial aviation attempts in India were still many years away.