Air India will keep on running till it is privatised: Aviation minister

While disinvestment-bound Air India's net loss in 2018-19 was around Rs 8,556 crore, its current total debt is around Rs 80,000 crore

Weeks after the Air India chief stated that the airline's financial situation was "grossly untenable" for sustaining operations, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri clarified on Tuesday that the national carrier, which is incurring a loss of Rs 20-26 crore daily, will keep on running till it is privatised.

"Air India is running. Air India will keep on running. But Air India has to be privatised because it is incurring a daily loss of Rs 20-26 crore. This is taxpayer's money that can be more profitably spent," he told reporters here.

While disinvestment-bound Air India's net loss in 2018-19 was around Rs