Not so strange... it is a government-run company, and like anything else government-run in India, it is a mess. Was a good airline way back in the 50s and 60s when it was privately owned and managed. Been downhill all the ways since it was "nationalised" in the early 1970s...

But as others say, the privately-run airlines in India -- especially Jet Airways -- are world class, and are expanding internationally, so there is hope for those who wish to fly an Indian carrier to India.