Air India sale on uncertain path, bidding likely to be deferred again

New global-standard bid conditions may still not yield optimum results for the government

This year, the government has had to postpone bidding for Air India four times on account of the pandemic. A fifth postponement looks imminent. Ahead of that, the government has altered bidding conditions — the second change since the airline went on the block in 2018 — to allow prospective suitors to bid on the global norm of enterprise value. Will it alter the prospects for this ailing airline to find a buyer?
 

Covid-19 has certainly taken its toll. In January, for instance, as the Tata group’s full-service airline Vistara, a 51-49 venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, was