In 2014, barely two months after the Narendra Modi government took charge, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) called a meeting to discuss the possibility of Air India advancing its revival by two years and subsequently going in for a stake sale. Three years later, despite some improvements, the state-owned carrier continues to struggle financially and is unlikely to achieve its target of making a net profit in FY19.
Despite lower fuel prices and higher passenger numbers, accumulated debt stood at Rs 46,000 crore and in April the airline took loans to pay salaries to its 16,000 employees.