IndiGo pulls out of plan to buy Air India operations in full

IndiGo said it’s unable to buy and turn around Air India’s operations in their entirety, a blow to prime minister Narendra Modi’s plan to sell the loss-making carrier. IndiGo is interested in Air India’s international operations and low-cost carrier Air India Express, but the govt doesn’t want to sell the carrier piecemeal, IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh said Thursday. “We do not believe that we have the capability to take on the task of acquiring and successfully turn around all of Air India’s airline operations,” Ghosh said. A successful sale of Air India, which is surviving on taxpayer-funded bailouts, is seen as test case for Modi as he seeks to steer the state away from running businesses and boost spending on health and education. The national carrier has 5 subsidiaries, a joint venture and a combined workforce of as many as 27,000. <br/>