Lohani, who has been at the helm of the struggling national carrier, also said "hindsight is much less at work in the private as opposed to the public sector".
His remarks come at a time when clamour continues in certain quarters that Air India -- which is surviving on a Rs 30,000 crore bailout package spread over 10 years -- should be privatised.
According to him, the decision-making processes, the contractual mechanisms, the checks and balances and the clarity in the mind of the owner are all widely different.
He also emphasised that the complex world of the public sector is no match in front of the simple output-oriented universe of the private.
Noting that "hindsight" is much less at work in the private sector compared to the public entities, Lohani wondered: "Does it imply that the public sector should be sold off, disposed to the private sector just because of our inability to change the ground rules and provide an almost level-playing field to it?"
On why the public sector cannot be allowed to operate and prosper like the private sector may perhaps always remain unanswered, he added.
"Unless and until we all, and that includes the mighty government machinery, start believing in the supremacy of deliverance over everything else, such dilemmas would always continue," Lohani said.
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