Maharashtra Government Takes Over Nariman Point Air India Building for Rs 1601 Crore
On June 2, the Maharashtra government officially took ownership of the iconic 56-year-old Air India building at Nariman Point in Mumbai after completing a Rs 1,601 crore acquisition. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis signed the formal transfer agreement with Air India Assets Holding Limited (AIAHL) in the afternoon, prompting Public Works Department (PWD) workers to immediately begin replacing the landmark's historic aviation branding with state government insignia.
Following the signing, PWD staffers swiftly moved to remove the legacy branding from the building. Late on the night of June 2, labourers worked through midnight on the publicity board abutting the building to install a brand new hoarding. The new sign features the gold emblem of the state and reads, "Government of Maharashtra." This board had previously displayed various historic Air India advertisements, including a famous 1991 display that read "Tata doesn’t always mean goodbye" upon JRD Tata's retirement.
Over the course of two days, PWD workers extracted the historic Air India logos and signages that were etched into the building's marble facade. While the shattered pieces of the old insignia were discarded, a bust of JRD Tata was relocated from the Nariman Point compound to Air India's Old Airport office in Kalina. Inside the building, remnants of its past, including abandoned cutouts of the beloved Maharajah mascot, a broken chandelier, dangling wires, and scattered office materials, remained.
The 23-storey skyscraper was originally envisioned by JRD Tata in 1965, during the creation of the Nariman Point business district as part of the Bombay backbay reclamation scheme. Prior to this, Air India had operated out of the New India Assurance building in Fort. To design the landmark, Tata's team commissioned post-modernist architect John Burgee of the Manhattan-based firm Johnson/Burgee Architects. The exterior was clad in special reconstituted marble tiles created by Bharat Flooring and Tiles, which have remained intact for nearly six decades.
While the building's first escalator and its massive auditorium are now defunct, senior government officials confirmed that the structure remains sound. The top floor, with its floor-length glass windows, continues to offer a 360-degree view of the Mumbai skyline.
