New Delhi, July 28: Indian companies score above global peers on AI readiness but only 19 per cent have started changing office space and operations to reflect that, with a 58‑point gap between recognition and execution, a report said.

The report from JLL said 77 per cent of Indian business leaders recognise AI will need changes implemented in the workspace.

“AI will add jobs, not cut them, according to India’s business leaders, but a shortage of skills, not money, is now the biggest hurdle to change,” the report said.

Nearly 58 per cent respondents expect workforce growth over the next three to five years and 62 per cent said AI will make human roles more valuable rather than replace them.

The survey of over 2,200 CEOs, CFOs and real estate heads across 21 countries found “Indian companies are ahead of the rest of the world in putting AI to use in how they plan and run their offices”.

India scored higher than the global average on all eight AI-related measures tracked.

“For the first time in 15 years of tracking this data, 46 per cent of Indian companies cite skills shortage as their primary barrier versus only 35 per cent citing budget, capability now outweighs cost,” said Ajit Kumar – Managing Director, Work Dynamics Accounts, West Asia, JLL.

Kumar mentioned the skills gap as a positive inflection point, because skills can be developed internally and sourced externally far more readily than waiting for capital allocation cycles.

“The companies that reframe this as a skills development challenge rather than a budget constraint—and invest in the 50 per cent who are prioritizing AI support and infrastructure—will define India’s workplace transformation over the next decade,” he added.

Nearly 56 per cent of India firms track AI trends against 46 per cent globally and 45 per cent Indian companies run staff training and change programmes against the global average of 36 per cent.

“Nearly one in five Indian companies (19 per cent) say they have reached the most advanced stage of using AI in their real estate operations, against 15 per cent globally. Counting those still scaling up, 47 per cent are actively rolling out AI, against 42 per cent worldwide,” the report said.

New Delhi, July 28: Tata Group-owned Air India and its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express reported a combined net loss of Rs 22,238 crore in FY26, more than double the Rs 10,859 crore loss recorded in the previous financial year, even as their combined revenue declined nearly 9 per cent.

According to the airlines’ annual reports, the combined revenue stood at Rs 71,870 crore in FY26.

Air India posted revenue of Rs 51,452 crore and a net loss of Rs 15,368 crore, while Air India Express reported revenue of Rs 19,088 crore and a net loss of Rs 6,767 crore.

Air India is currently owned 73.82 per cent by Tata Sons, 25.1 per cent by Singapore Airlines and 1.08 per cent by employees under a share benefit scheme created during the airline’s privatisation in 2022.

Addressing shareholders, Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said the carrier’s transformation should be viewed as a long-term exercise, stressing that building a world-class global airline cannot be achieved within a few quarters.

“Every great airline in history was built over decades, not quarters,” Chandrasekaran wrote in his message to shareholders.

He said Air India’s transformation should be seen as a five- to 10-year journey, given the condition in which the airline was acquired, prolonged supply chain disruptions affecting aircraft components, the need to modernise legacy systems and processes, renew the fleet, reshape the organisational culture and build a large pool of skilled technical and aviation professionals.

However, his comments indicate that the airline’s turnaround is likely to take longer than initially anticipated as the Tata Group continues its multi-billion-dollar investment to revive the national carrier following its acquisition from the government in 2022.

Earlier in the month, Air India had appointed UK-based aircraft marketing and asset management firm Skytech-AIC to oversee the sale of six Airbus A319 aircraft.

New Delhi, July 27: The Ministry of Civil Aviation informed Parliament on Monday that there has been no delay in the investigation into the Air India Boeing Dreamliner crash at Ahmedabad airport and the inquiry “is progressing as per established procedures.”

The investigations into major aviation accidents depend on several factors and involve multiple variables, making it impossible to specify a fixed timeline for the final report, the ministry said in a written reply to a question in the Upper House.

“The timeline for completing a major air accident investigation cannot be predicted,” the Ministry’s statement said.

It also said that all probable causes and contributing factors leading to the accident are being investigated, indicating that the probe remains comprehensive and no conclusions have been reached so far.

The ministry further informed the Rajya Sabha that the inspection of the complete Thrust Control Module at the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) facility is underway as part of the ongoing investigation.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation had earlier, in a reply, also stated in Parliament that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is “transparently” conducting its investigation into the Air India Boeing crash on June 12 last year and “all probable causes leading to the accident are being investigated.”

A preliminary investigation report was published by AAIB on July 12, 2025, and the same is available on their website www.aaib.gov.in. The investigation is in progress, and the final report will be published after completion of the investigation, the ministry stated in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.

“As per the ICAO Annex 13 requirements, the interim statement has been published by AAIB on June 12, 2026. The final investigation report will be published after completion of the investigation,” the ministry added.

As many as 260 people were killed when the AI-171 Boeing Dreamliner flight from Ahmedabad to London-Gatwick on June 12 crashed within 35 seconds of taking off. While 241 people on board the Dreamliner lost their lives, 19 people were killed on the ground. One passenger on the plane had a miraculous escape.

The preliminary report released by the AAIB on July 12 stated that both engines of the ill-fated Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner lost thrust after the two fuel cut-off switches moved from the ‘RUN’ to the ‘CUTOFF’ position. However, the cockpit voice recorder has revealed that one of the pilots told the other that he did not turn off the fuel control switches. The fuel switches were then returned back to the RUN position just before the plane crashed.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu earlier said that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s report on the Air India crash was based on preliminary findings, and urged against reaching any conclusions until the final report is released.