Dentsu has won Air India’s media planning and buying mandate, according to sources close to the development. The account, estimated to be worth ₹100–150 crore, was secured following a multi-agency pitch.
The mandate was previously held by Initiative, part of IPG Mediabrands, which won the business in 2024 after a pitch process that began in 2023. Air India’s creative mandate remains with McCann Worldgroup India, which has held the account since 2023.
This latest review comes as Air India continues its broader transformation under the Tata Group, which reacquired the airline in 2022. Since then, the carrier has pursued a wide-ranging overhaul spanning fleet modernisation, operational integration, customer experience improvements and sustained brand-building efforts aimed at repositioning it as a globally competitive full-service carrier.
As part of this transformation, Air India completed the merger of Vistara into its full-service operations in 2024, while consolidating its low-cost carrier operations under Air India Express, creating a more unified group structure across both premium and budget segments.
The media mandate shift adds to a string of account movements within Air India’s marketing ecosystem as the airline continues to refine its agency partnerships alongside its operational integration. With the creative and media mandates now split between McCann Worldgroup India and Dentsu respectively, the airline’s marketing setup reflects its evolving needs as it scales media spending to support its ongoing repositioning in a competitive aviation and travel advertising landscape.
Neither Air India nor Dentsu have issued an official statement confirming the development at the time of writing.
