No option but to privatise, Puri tells Air India unions

Mumbai, January 2

The government has no option but to privatise Air India as it has around Rs 80,000-crore debt and needs cooperation of the employees for carrying out the privatisation process, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri is said to have told the airline unions on Thursday.

At a meeting with some 13 Air India unions in Delhi, Puri also said the government was trying to address the concerns of the employees regarding issues such as job protection post privatisation, a union representative said.

“The minister said that Air India has a debt of Rs 80,000 crore and no expert has solution to that. Privatisation is the only choice left for the government,” he said. — PTI