New Delhi: Civil Aviation Minister Mahesh Sharma on Thursday ruled out any immediate plan to hand over Air India to a private entity and said a group of experts would soon be set up for advising the government on a revival roadmap for the loss-making airline.
“At present this (privatisation of Air India) is not under discussions… Air India has to have certain social obligations at the time of crisis, at the times of war or natural calamity like the one in Uttarakhand… So you have to address all these issues,” he told reporters during an aviation summit here.
He said there were also connectivity issues to the remote and sequestered areas like Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Himalayan states (which is provided by Air India).
Industry experts have long been demanding privatisation of the national airline citing its huge losses and debt, which stand around Rs 38,000 crore and Rs 40,000 crore respectively.
The carrier is flying on a Rs 30,231 crore bailout package by the government, approved in 2012 under its revival plan. Under the plan, the government will infuse this amount over a period of nine years to turn around the airline.
27/03/15 PTI/Financial Express
“At present this (privatisation of Air India) is not under discussions… Air India has to have certain social obligations at the time of crisis, at the times of war or natural calamity like the one in Uttarakhand… So you have to address all these issues,” he told reporters during an aviation summit here.
He said there were also connectivity issues to the remote and sequestered areas like Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Himalayan states (which is provided by Air India).
Industry experts have long been demanding privatisation of the national airline citing its huge losses and debt, which stand around Rs 38,000 crore and Rs 40,000 crore respectively.
The carrier is flying on a Rs 30,231 crore bailout package by the government, approved in 2012 under its revival plan. Under the plan, the government will infuse this amount over a period of nine years to turn around the airline.
27/03/15 PTI/Financial Express
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