The government-owned Indian Airlines has acquired a new corporate identity and a new name as well.

It will now be called ''Indian.' The word 'Airlines' has been dropped and will hopefully shed its somewhat stodgy image.

Passengers will be greeted by a transformed attitude which will reflect its new ethos.

As its mint-fresh leased Airbus A319 arrived from Hamburg today, IA changed its name, motif and colours to be more contemporary.

The standard livery will be altered next year to enhance the look and feel of aircraft interiors. And the uniforms too will be different.

The rebranding, arrival of new planes on lease and acquisition of 43 new aircraft are all timed for initial public offering of partial stock sale early next year.

Picture : the new look and logo of Indian airline aircraft