Qatar Air shows interest in Air India, sans its baggage

Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker has said that the company would be interested in Air India but sans its baggage.  He said that Qatar Airways is keen only in Air India and not in its operations.

He made this statement after the Indian government decided to put on hold the financially sick national carrier’s divestment plans following a failed attempt to attract bidders.

In a press meet, while explaining his reference to the word ‘baggage’, Baker said, “We would be interested in Air India if we had a strong partner. We need to have a very strong partner and we take the airline without the baggage,” said Qatar Airways group CEO Akbar Al Baker. “Look, it is not the debt that’s the baggage — it is the other functions that Air India carries out such as ground handling, engineering and things like that are. We would be interested only in the airline.”

In the recent past, the government had tried selling 76% stake of Air India along with low-cost carrier international subsidiary Air India Express and ground handling company Air India Singapore Airport Terminal Services (AISATS), which is a ground handling subsidiary of Air India with 50% partnership from Singapore-based SATS.

By December this year, the state machinery did try to complete the sale process but failed to attract any bid for the national carrier, even though the deadline was extended from May 14 to May 31, 2018.

After failing to attract genuine buyers for the sick national air carrier, the government decided to put the process on hold and is currently working on an apt proposal to fund the working capital debt and losses of the airline, worth Rs 30,000 crore.

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