Air India Employees' 5000 Candles
In 2016, Air India employees lit 5,000 tea light candles by hand to guide planes onto a flooded, blacked-out Mumbai runway. It's one of the clearest real-world pictures of Commitment I use in Stars at India Inc.

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","headline":"Air India Employees' 5000 Candles: A Story of Commitment","description":"In 2016, monsoon floods knocked out Mumbai airport's runway lights. Air India employees lit 5,000 tea light candles by hand to guide planes home. Avinash Chate on what real commitment looks like at work.","image":"https://avinash-gallery-worker.avinashchate-abc.workers.dev/avinash-1782734172588-0rt00o.jpg","keywords":"commitment at work, Air India 5000 candles, Stars at India Inc, Avinash Chate, employee commitment, Winning Kite framework, emotional intelligence at work","articleSection":"Trait #9 Commitment","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Avinash Chate","jobTitle":"Founder & Director, The Future Corporate","sameAs":["https://www.linkedin.com/in/avinashchate","https://www.youtube.com/@AvinashChate"]},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future Corporate","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://avinash-gallery-worker.avinashchate-abc.workers.dev/avinash-1775992459555-zcrxke.webp"}},"datePublished":"2026-07-11","dateModified":"2026-07-11","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.avinashchate.com/blog/air-india-employees-5000-candles"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the Air India 5000 candles story about?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"In 2016, heavy monsoon rains flooded the runway lighting system at Mumbai airport, forcing flights to divert. Air India ground staff at Mumbai airport office lit 5,000 tea light candles by hand along the runway edges so pilots could land safely, working for hours through the rain and wind without being asked to."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why is the Air India candles story used to teach commitment?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Because nobody assigned this task to those employees. There was no policy, no manager's order, no overtime claim filed in advance. They saw a problem that threatened the company's reputation and passenger safety, and they solved it with what was on hand. That is the difference between a 'visitor' at work and a 'resident' — and it is the essence of Commitment, Trait #9 on the EQ side of the Winning Kite."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Where does Commitment sit on the Winning Kite framework?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Commitment is Trait #9 in the Self-Motivation cluster on the EQ (left) side of the Winning Kite. EQ traits like Commitment work alongside RQ (Relationship Intelligence) and PQ (Productivity) to lift the kite toward Success — you rise on balance across all three, not strength in one alone."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How can a manager build this kind of commitment in a team?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Align people with a mission bigger than their job description, give them clear goals and real ownership, model discipline yourself, and celebrate the unglamorous saves — not just the visible wins. Commitmen…
Avinash Chate services
Corporate Trainer in Mumbai · Top Corporate Trainers in Mumbai · Leadership Trainer in Mumbai · Top Leadership Trainers in Maharashtra · Team Building Trainer in Mumbai · Top Team Building Trainers in Maharashtra · Motivational Speaker in Mumbai · Top Motivational Speakers in Mumbai · All service locations
← Back to all articles · Book Avinash Chate
By Avinash Chate — Maharashtra’s #1 Corporate Trainer & Motivational Speaker. .