Privatise Air India: Modi govt must firmly deal with the hurdles

Air India disinvestment-ready will not be an easy process.

The NITI Aayog has recommended strategic disinvestment of Air India, the loss-making and debt-laden national carrier. This has found support from Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who said that if private airlines could carry 86 per cent of passengers, they might as well carry 100 per cent of them. However, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju poured cold water over the proposal when he told a television channel on Wednesday that it would not be easy to find a bakra (gullible investor) for Air India. If the government is serious about privatising Air India, its ministers should not be allowed to