Born as Sahara Airlines in 1991, it started operations in 1993 and was rechristened Air Sahara in 2000. Part of Sahara India Pariwar, Air Sahara became an international carrier in 2005.

After much deliberation and more legal fuss, Jet Airways, headed by Naresh Goyal, bought Air Sahara in 2007 for Rs 1,450 crore (Rs 14.5 billion).

Jet Airways dubbed its low-cost counterpart JetLite. Jet carried forward Sahara's trademark of 'Indian-ness' in the look and feel of the airlines. The crew's dress code and the fleet colours were retained to continue Sahara's Indian legacy.

With the tagline -- Warmth: Free. You're welcome -- JetLite is a mix of Sahara's hospitable identity and Jet's classy appeal. It deviates from the low-cost track and focuses on service positioning to beat competition.