Braving strong winds and heights, a team of eight labourers perched upon a metal scaffolding atop the 23-storey Air India building worked for hours to dismantle the airline’s red and yellow logo. The operation concluded on September 2 after six days of work, erasing the last bits of Air India from the Nariman Point skyline.

The iconic Air India logo will now pave the way for new signage to reflect the name of the building’s new owner, the Government of Maharashtra.

Earlier in June this year, the Maharashtra government took charge of the 56-year-old building after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis signed an agreement with Air India Assets Holding Limited (AIAHL) and completed a formal transfer of the landmark for Rs 1,601 crore.

While Air India’s boards and signage were extracted early in June, the iconic Air India logo atop the terrace on the 23rd floor was left.

While Air India’s boards and signage were extracted early in June, the iconic Air India logo atop the terrace on the 23rd floor was left.

“The building is situated along the coast and experiences strong wind speeds. Therefore, we selected a timeline when the wind currents were forecast to be slow. For six days, we would study the wind pressure on Google and commence the work only when the pressure was low,” a senior PWD official, privy to developments, said.

Speaking to , PWD officials said, “All the welders and labourers were trained to work on high-rises. They worked with safety precautions like safety belts, helmets, and harnesses. At the same time, we had to ensure that the pieces of the logo did not fall and injure people.”

For six days, the team of labourers worked nearly five hours to bring it down. “We had to take into account rain, wind as well as ensure that the pieces did not fall and injure people. Thus, the process was carried out slowly in small phases.”

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Now dismantled, the logo – built in aluminum sheets – has been stored on the building’s 22nd floor.

“There are no plans to restore the logo or preserve it. The structure was light and built in aluminium sheets, making it prone to easy damage when worked upon,” an official maintained.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has invited the JJ School of Arts to design a new logo for the building.

The building is now slated to house governmental departments, and an allocation of Rs. 181 crore has been sanctioned to execute repairs within the building.