NEW DEHLI: Air India will only be sold off as an integrated airline comprising both domestic and international operations, the Indian government has said.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said it will not be carved up, as some potential bidders were hoping, but sold as a single entity.
He said: “What we will be offering through the bidding process is the integrated airline (Air India), which means both domestic and international operations together.
However it will offer up other Air India subsidiaries for sale separately which bidders can cherry pick.
These reportedly include its low-cost arm Air India Express, which frontrunner IndiGo, India’s large budget carrier, has shown interest in.
Other subsidiaries available for sale separately will be its ground-handling and MRO businesses, regional operator Alliance Air and the Hotel Corporation of India, which operates the Centaur hotels brand
“We have so far received formal expression of interest from IndiGo for AI’s airline arm. For the ground handling and MRO subsidiaries, a few others have done the same,” Sinha said.
