Management installed by the Tata Group had spent three years struggling to undo a reputation for shoddy operations earned during decades of state ownership.

The deadly crash of an Air India flight carrying more than 240 people on Thursday arrives after years of efforts to turn around the country’s flag carrier — which had been plagued by tragedy and financial losses under prior state ownership.

The lone passenger who survived the Air India crash that killed 241 people onboard couldn’t believe he was alive when he opened his eyes, surrounded by flames, debris and charred bodies