Struggling Air India might be forced to shut down by June next year unless it finds a buyer as “piecemeal” arrangements cannot be sustained for long, according to a senior airline official. Amid continuing uncertainty over the fate of the carrier, the official said there is also need for funds to restart operations of 12 grounded narrow-bodied planes. Sounding alarm bells, the official said Air India might well go the Jet Airways way if a prospective buyer does not come on board by June next year. With govt leaving the debt-ridden airline to fend for itself by refusing to inject funds any more amid its privatisation plans, the airline is “somehow” keeping it afloat with piecemeal arrangements, which are unlikely to sustain for long, the official said. <br/>
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ANA will debut discount airfares taking foreigners to parts of Japan they rarely see, tapping a tax break totalling JPY40b (US$365m) designed to boost tourism. The airline will offer discount tickets starting in 2020 that allow travellers to make multi-stop trips between regional airports over a given period. These tickets, available only for foreign visitors, will go on sale in time for the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Other carriers are considering similar initiatives for foreign travellers, such as extending the deadline for advance-purchase discounts in order to encourage trips around the country. The discounts will be supported by Tokyo continuing the reduction in Japan's aviation fuel tax, as the govt has extended this relief into the next fiscal year starting in April. <br/>