Air India features Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in new campaign chapter

MUMBAI: Every champion may have a moment in the spotlight, but behind the big shot is often a whole team of people keeping the faith. Air India taps into that idea with the latest chapter of its ‘There is an Air About India’ campaign, featuring young cricket sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

The digital film, launched ahead of the Asian Games, shifts the focus from individual achievement to the people who help make it possible. Parents, coaches, mentors, teammates, support staff, fans and communities all become part of the story, reflecting the campaign’s central message: ‘Together We Fly’.

First launched in 2025, ‘There is an Air About India’ was built around the confidence, ambition and momentum of a nation on the rise. The latest edition takes a more personal route, following Sooryavanshi’s journey from a young boy with a cricketing dream to a rising sporting name.

The film traces the encouragement he receives along the way, beginning with his father and extending to coaches, mentors, teammates and fans. It also weaves his story into the wider landscape of Indian sport, highlighting the collective effort behind medals, records, breakthroughs and other milestones.

The campaign positions Sooryavanshi as part of a younger generation of Indian sporting talent whose potential is nurtured well before the spotlight arrives. Air India is among the first major Indian brands to partner with the young cricketer.

Conceptualised and produced by Air India in partnership with creative agency McCann, the film uses an Indian fusion rap soundtrack, combining contemporary rhythms with Indian musical influences to underline its youthful tone.

The campaign also arrives against the backdrop of Air India’s own transformation. Since returning to the Tata group in 2022, the airline has been investing in aircraft, customer experience, operational capabilities and aviation infrastructure.

Air India has ordered 600 new aircraft, while its $400 million retrofit programme for its legacy fleet is under way. The retrofit of its narrowbody aircraft has been completed, while five refurbished aircraft have returned to service. The airline has also inducted four new Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

Its infrastructure push extends to training. Air India has established what it describes as South Asia’s largest aviation training academy, with 21 full-flight simulators for Airbus and Boeing aircraft being installed. A new flying school in Amravati, Maharashtra, and a new maintenance, repair and overhaul facility and aircraft maintenance engineering training school in Bengaluru are also being operationalised.

Against that backdrop, the latest campaign draws a parallel between sporting success and the airline’s own transformation: both are presented as journeys powered by people working together.

With Sooryavanshi at the centre and ‘Together We Fly’ providing the soundtrack, Air India’s latest campaign puts the spotlight not just on the person crossing the finish line, but on everyone who helped them get there.