Air India will have to close if not privatised: minister

Says India is committed to selling the company

NEW DELHI: India’s state-run airline will have to cease operations if it is not privatised, the country’s junior minister for civil aviation said in parliament on Wednesday, in response to a lawmaker’s question on the subject.

A group of officials, including India’s home and finance ministers, is finalising the process of inviting bids from the private sector for the loss-making national carrier.

The company has lucrative landing slots in India and across the world but has been a burden on the exchequer for years. Officials are still deliberating over some details, said Junior Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Once they are finalised, the government will invite bids, he said, adding that India is committed to selling the company.

Last year, it failed to attract any bidders when it tried to sell a 76% stake in the airline and offload about $5.1 billion of Air India’s debt. It is now re-evaluating some of the terms and is open to selling the airline in its entirety, Puri said in a written response to a separate question in parliament.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2019.

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